Show No Mercy
by DoubleTime
Summary: Since Will Stanton's final battle between the Dark, he has come to realize there are more agents of the Dark than he thinks...Crossover between Harry Potter and the Dark is Rising Sequence
1. Life's Not Easy

AN- Just so you guys know, I'm redoing my other story.. yay!  Right now I am going with whatever my little mind can think up and correct me on things you think I need help with. I'd really really appreciate it!

**Life's not easy**

_He was running. Running for a purpose still unknown to him. He felt a need to be there, in that house. But yet he had no idea why._

_He turned the corner and raced up the sidewalk. Throwing the door open with only a flick of his right hand, he sped through. Climbing the stairs by twos he got to the top in less than 5 seconds. Even though it seemed like forever. He calmly rushed over to the door that had been calling to him. He flung open the door just as a bright green light flashed through the room. The light seemed to be directed to a little baby boy. The attacker looked up. You could barely see his face for a hood covered it, but his red eyes shown clear. He was blown out of Time it seemed._

_Hearing a cry the onlooker glanced down at the baby. A wound had formed on his forehead. The shape of it was the most peculiar sight, as it was the shape of a lightning bolt. Next to the baby was a woman. Dead. He knew from the sight of her even though there were no wounds of any kind. You could just tell she was dead. _

_A sound redirected the onlooker's gaze toward the window. His hearing, much keener than a normal human's, heard a man's strong voice far off run through his head, "The Potter's house has just been attacked. We must go _faster_!"_

Will woke out of breath with a cold sweat forming on his brow. He looked up to see an elderly woman, not unknown to him, staring with concern filling her big, brown eyes.

"Are you alright? You nearly gave me a heart attack and at my old age it would be more likely. You were shaking and convulsing. Sweet mother of Jesus! If you hadn't stopped I would've called the hospital!" She exclaimed in a whisper as not to wake the others. She then repeated herself, "Will, are you alright?" Her hair, mostly gray with some white specks flew across her face while she talked quietly. Her voice was very shrill and piercing through the stillness of the night. Even though she was whispering she was still waking some of the other children.

"I'm fine Sister Katherine. I just had a nightmare. That's all." Will replied masking his real feelings. If she knew what was really going on in his fifteen-year-old head she would seriously go insane and probably continue talking in that unwanted voice of hers. Will could already feel a headache forming.

"You're sure? Do you want anything? Some water maybe or some bread?" This was the same question she asked this whole week when he had a nightmare… or _the_ nightmare. It had almost become a routine for her. She'd wait for Will to stop shaking, then look very scared and relieved that he was alive. She was either a really good actress or she really was actually scared for him. After asking how he was, in which Will would answer "fine" or "alright" with; she would get him a glass of water and some stale bread from the day before. Even if he had firmly told her no.

But today he was more tired than usual so he gave her the answer that she wanted, "That would be just fine thank you."

"Good, good." She eyed him carefully. "Your not pulling anything are you?"

"No Sister Katherine. Why would I ever do that?"

She mumbled something incoherent to herself and left the room.

Will looked around. Some of the other orphans stared at him with disgust. He gave them a blank stare back so they got uncomfortable. They glanced down and went back to bed. The room itself was boring yet it had a roof that didn't leak. It was white with about five beds lining the walls on each side. The church was serving as a homeless center for children under eighteen.

He heard a rustling in the bed next to him. A little boy about three years his junior looked at him. "Can I have the extra bread you don't want? You gave it to someone last time. Can I have it this time?" He stared at Will. His eyes filled with anguish and hope. When Will didn't answer he continued, "It wouldn't be for me, don't worry. It would be for my older brother who's nineteen. He just passed the age limit. So he can't have the free water and food they give us. So could I please have the bread?"

Before he could answer Sister Katherine came bustling into the room. With her she brought a pitcher of water and a couple pieces of bread on a tray. "Here you go Will. Now just try and get some sleep. Please? This the fifth time this week and if it doesn't stop you will be kicked out." She handed him the tray and started out the door but paused before she closed it. "If they don't kick you out, I'll have to do it." She joked as she was trying to suppress the smile that gave way in the end.

Will nodded. He wasn't going to stay here much longer anyway. He had stayed much too long in one place, gotten too attached. If Will stayed any longer he would have a lasting impression. And that was the last thing he wanted.

"Goodnight Sister Katherine." He said politely.

"G'night Will." She smiled and shut the door. The very moment it clicked the boy next to him got up and asked again, "Can I have it now?"

Will glanced sideways at him and said, "Yes you may. But I get a question in return." The boy nodded, anxiously waiting for his food. "I would like to know you and your brother's name." He handed the tray to the boy.

"Why?" The simplicity of the question held a much more complicated answer that Will was too tired to respond. So instead of saying anything he just looked at the boy straight in the eye. The boy must have been smart enough to know that he wasn't going to get an answer. "My name is James and my brother's name is Stephen. He is living really close to here in the train station. Your Will right?"

He could respond to this. "Yes." He said and then lay down. "But if we are to get a good night's sleep as Sister Katherine said then we should start now. The light from the sun is almost coming through the window." He glanced down at the boy, now called James. "Goodnight Jamie."

"Goodnight Will" Then James lay down and after some time his breathing returned to a normal. When Will figured everyone went asleep he tried himself. But too much was on his mind for him to get asleep. So he stayed up thinking.

_Why did I get myself into this hard life? It's been already two years since I've left my family. But it was for their safety, right? I would die way after them. And sooner or later I'm not going to age. What would they think then? Something like, 'Why isn't their youngest brother not aging after eighteen?' They would then make excuses that they would ask later trying to figure some reasonable explanation that might make some sense. _

_And then what? What would I have to go through? Another deal making them forget. I just couldn't go through with that again. It hurt too much. Faking my death was the best way; no the only way out of it for both of us. For I am the Watcher. That is my duty in life. I am to watch and not interfere. But what about this dream I've been having? It has been the same every time. I still see that boy with the strangely shaped wound, that dead woman, and the man with the red eyes. Is that boy of some importance? Is he from the dark? Is he their way back in? Maybe it's a warning telling me I should go kill this boy when I have the chance. Or maybe I'm supposed to protect him from the dark. But how can that be possible? The dark couldn't come back. They were banished from this world. Unless they have a new, secret way to get back in. _Will sighed_. Merriman where are you?_

"Merriman where _are_ you?"

Hope you like it!! READ AND REVIEW!


	2. Not home, Never Home

**AN- sorry I had to finish an essay before I could even think about writing this. Thanks to my only reviewer so far!! I really like the support!**

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CHAPTER TWO

**Not home, Never home**

Harry bolted awake. He sighed and mumbled, "Not again". Seeing as it was only three in the morning he rolled out of bed.

It had been like this for the whole summer. Every night he would wake up from the same dream, _nightmare._

The dream always started out with him and Cedric in the graveyard. The bastard, Pettigrew's voice would say the killing curse and Cedric would be dead. Never to speak another word. Harry would then be portkeyed to the Ministry. He would see Sirius falling into the veil. The thought of his Godfather brought tears to his eyes. Even after almost two months of mourning, he still could not get over his only family's death. Sure Aunt Petunia was related but she wasn't family. She didn't comfort him when he needed it the most, such as now.

After Sirius, he would see his parents being murdered by Voldemort. Except before Voldemort got blown to bits and Harry's title came into play, Old Tommy would ask Harry to join him. _Join him._ The stupid bastard already knew his answer to that. Every single time, before he could even utter a single, "never" the green light would be flying at him. In the background showed what he feared most: his friends looking at him with dead, unseeing eyes. Just like Cedric's; just like his parents.

_At least I didn't scream this time._ He thought.During half of the first month, he had screamed every single time, but the Dursley's helped stop that. None too gently. Halleluiah for today, Fate had decided to go easy on him.

Some things in his life weren't perfect and he had lost his innocence a long time ago. There were points in his life when he would wish that someone else was the boy-who-lived or when he was immersed in self-pity, he would wish it was Neville. The moment after that thought always came anger. Anger at having the whole Wizarding World's fate on his shoulders. Anger at not having a loving family. Anger at Sirius for dying. Anger at how he was treated as a savior, when he couldn't even do Occlumeny! So many problems, so little time.

Brooding a little at his terrible and terrifying life, Harry got some of his homework to finish for school. Sometimes waking up early had its advantages. Besides in a week he would be gone from his dingy room he called his personal hell. Hogwarts, his true home, was an arm's reach away.

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Harry was now disregarding what he said earlier about getting up early. He was nearly dead on his feet! At least the Dursleys weren't being as terrible as they had been a couple of years back. That's when he thanked the Order for being there but they could become a bit pesky at times.

At the moment, he was washing up the dishes as his 'family' watched the news. It looked as if nothing interesting was happening because Dudley wasn't paying rapt attention. Harry was glad nothing was happening. If anything occurred in the Muggle world then there would be turmoil in the Wizarding one. He finished his chore and looked at the list Petunia gave him. It was kind of like those bottomless bags except in list form. Next on his list was to weed the garden, then he was supposed to trim the hedges, then water and replant some things in Petunia's garden, then he was supposed to repaint the fence, then, then, then… NEVERENDING! He almost wished Voldemort would come and save him the privilege of hexing his relatives.

Harry sighed, he was brooding again. _Maybe it's not just me who has to go through this every single year. Maybe there's someone out there just like me_. He laughed bitterly. _Sure, when I join Voldemort_.

When he was done for the day, he went to his room to try and find a peaceful nights sleep. Only six days left and he would be able to make dreamless sleep potions and use silencing spells to stop his roommates from waking. Six days. He could live until then. But until then, he would endure his hell.

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**Please review!!! And sorry it's so short it will get longer, Never fear!! I really like these line things.. :)**


	3. Familiar Faces

**AN-This story starts after the final battle with the Dark and Will, just so you know. So it's after the Grey King. I'm thinking about switching this story from book crossovers to The Dark is Rising place. maybe more people will read it there. Which reminds me… I should reread them soon again. :) **

CHAPTER THREE

**Familiar Faces **

After just having left the orphanage, Will wandered down the street. He needed to find this mysterious green-eyed boy. The streets of London didn't seem like the place where he should lose his surroundings so he walked towards what he hoped was an indiscreet pub. It looked shabby enough to not be noticed at all by the passer-bys. For some reason he felt a pull in that direction, no, more like a great big push.

As he got closer, he could sense a presence that was not light, but was not fully dark. He was shocked by this feeling since the Dark was banished out of Time. They shouldn't be here, couldn't be here. Unless they did the impossible and defied what he believed. His suspicions concerning the boy grew a little more.

He walked into the "Leaky Cauldron" with a sense of foreboding. It had been a long time since his Old One powers were in use. Actually two years shouldn't seem long for him considering he was immortal, doomed to watch his family and friends die.

Curious about the gothic style the occupants of the place wore, he walked up to the bar. The man looked up from his work behind the counter.

"Would you like something? A Butterbeer perhaps?" The man questioned.

"No thanks." Will had to think fast to act normal. He glanced at the money and it wasn't a currency he knew of. These people were starting to really confuse him, and it's hard to confuse an Old One.

"Okay. Well if you need anything just give me a holler." He then went back to what he was doing.

Will went towards the darkest corner that wasn't taken and sat down in the booth. He closed his eyes as he went into full Old One mode and surveyed the area. The Dark presence he had sensed was still there, but nearer now. Opening his eyes, he looked around at the people.

They wore robes and all carried short sticks which if he looked closer, held more power than he would have originally assumed. They all looked gloomy and there were few in the pub itself. There was a fireplace, where when it turned green, people would come flying out of it. Others would walk into it without a care in the world. Will wondered that if they didn't throw the powder stuff in then they would burn and die. _Must be an everyday thing then_.

When they weren't walking into the fire they walked out a back door. Will decided that when the next batch came out he would follow and see where they were going.

The next group made his heart clench. It was a family that had at least five siblings with them. They stood out remarkably well considering their flaming red hair. _A big family_. He sighed. _Just like my own._ He shook his head. Now was not the time to be dwelling on the past.

Getting up smoothly and trailing them, he found himself in an alley. When he looked at the mother of the clan, she had her stick out and was tapping the bricks on the far side. Amazingly, the bricks moved away and placed themselves in an arch form. The family walked through, bickering amongst themselves.

"I know it was you who put that. That. That potion in my juice!" The youngest female looked furious at her older twin brothers. The oldest sibling who had his hair tied up in a pony tail and a fang in his ear, just chuckled. The girl glared at her traitorous family and walked faster to catch up with her mother.

"We better leave before-"

"Ickle Ginikins sends her famous-"

"Bat Bogey Hex in our direction."

"See you Mum!" They chorused together as they ran into a store by the name of Weasly's Wizarding Wheezes.

_Ah,_ thought Will. _So these are Wizards. Hm… wonder why Merriman never told me about them; or maybe he never knew either?_

Will decided to wander around in the stores. Now that he had figured out why these people acted so differently, he could try to blend in better. He chose to sit outside at an ice cream shop. Only then did he check his senses again. The presence seemed to be following him. _Curious_. Now there was more than just the one dark presence. There had to be almost twelve. They were scattered amongst the crowd of people. _Seems like a scheme to me._

The ageless teen planned on sitting there people-watching but something unexpected happened. He felt the Dark. Not just the Dark, but the Rider. _Impossible!_ His arch-enemy was here. Standing up abruptly he sharply looked in the direction his senses told him.

Many gun shot sounds fired as lights starting shooting up in the air. Will ducked into the shop he had just been outside. It was utter chaos! He had never seen so many lights; it was blinding and giving him a headache. The lights reminded him of a once misplaced firework inside the Stanton house. _Stop thinking about them; they're fine._

The Old One looked around and noticed everybody was trembling. The family with the red hair, minus the twins were there and a couple of others. They were huddled next to the counter of the ice cream parlor. He figured out, after a moment, that he was standing alone in the middle of the store.

As he was about to move to avoid being such an easy target, the door slammed open, and none other than the Rider stood in the doorway. He looked menacingly over at Will, who proudly stood his ground.

"I was wondering when the Watchman would stand his post. How does your trip _alone_ go, Will Stanton?" He called out harshly and smirked at Will while Will looked on impassively. "Oh, has the little Old One lost his tongue? He can't believe I have come back. Yes Watchman! The Dark is back from the edges of Time. The Dark will win again!" He cackled and walked closer as Will still stood strong.

"You never won in the first place. You were banished, meaning you have no right to be here, Rider." He spat the name out, disgusted. This shouldn't be happening, he was supposed to brood and watch everyone die, not watch as the Dark came back and terrorized the world.

"Ah, but your Master didn't listen correctly." He looked smug. "It seems that if one agent of the Light is here then it has to be balanced out. Did the Watchman not catch that? His book of Gramarye isn't all that helpful after all!"

Will's hand shot out from him and pointed at the Rider. He started speaking in the Old Speech rapidly and efficiently. The Rider regarded this coolly and called in a high voice.

"Oh Ally of mine! I have a special treat for you today! Come meet my opposition!" The front wall completely blew up and collapsed. The families hid further in their alcove while Will had to duck for cover. Someone stepped onto the rubble.

"You!" Will hissed. It was Him. The one from the incessant dreams. The one with the red eyes.

"It seems he knows me already." Voldemort hissed like a snake, exactly the way he appeared. "This mere boy defeated you?" He gazed at the Rider.

"You were defeated by a baby. Do not forget who your superiors are." Those cold blue eyes bore into red. "I am immortal, something you can never hope to achieve."

"Fine," Voldemort snapped. "Let's bring your little friend outside where he can meet some of my friends, unless you can't control him?"

Will looked on as he began to back into a corner. He didn't think he could get out of this one. He started to draw on what strength he had so that if need be he would fight. No one would ruin the world he was born to protect.

"Come Will and we will make this quick. Once we are done you can join your Master beyond Time." His smile was a complete fake.

"You know I will never listen to you." As those words passed his lips, he lashed out with his mind. The Rider staggered. "I'm not so little anymore, Rider." He smiled viciously. "I grew fangs." Will lashed out once more and the Rider fell to his knee. When he finally raised his head, he wore a look of total madness. The Dark leader stood up slowly and painfully. Once he stood firmly, the counter attack came.

Will didn't know if he had ever been in so much pain. It was like someone was ripping his mind out and his body reacted violently to it. He finally fell to the floor writhing and squirming, trying to get away from the agony. He went deep into his mind and took a mental breath, preparing himself. _I can do this._ He pushed most of the pain to the recesses of his mind and got onto his knees. He looked up and grey clashed with blue.

The determination in Will's eyes seemed to make the Rider falter a little. That little moment was enough for Will to push all he had into a mental blow. The impact did more than he thought it would. It graciously shoved the Rider to the floor and knocked out Voldemort and anyone who was around the area. Hopefully, they wouldn't remember that an Old One was there.

A few minutes after the blow, there was a sound by where the door used to be. Will saw two men one had greasy black hair and a hooked nose, while the other was a short, fat, ratty looking man. The greasy haired one whispered to the fat one, and the fat one disappeared with Voldemort, who, disappointedly, seemed to be alive.

Will struggled to his feet and took an offensive position. He would not go down without a fight. He perceived that the Rider was no where to be seen, so he must have gotten away somehow. The man observed him with well concealed awe. Will, not used to this and barely standing up straight, was uncomfortable._ Is this an act to get me on their side?_

"What the hell do you want?" Will snapped, his patience wearing thin. He needed to recover so if the Dark happened to attack again, he wouldn't be totally unprepared. Gathering what was left of his strength he got ready to go through the doors of Time.

Severus Snape was not one to be talked to with no respect. He was also not one to be awed by someone other than Dumbledore. But this boy had him speechless. He noticed the Weasly's were lying unconscious on the floor next to the owner of the now demolished shop and his family. Snape snapped out of his thinking to decide what to do with this boy. He looked ready to flee soon.

Choosing the only thing he could think of, he stunned him.

Will not reacting as quickly as he should have, couldn't get out of the way. The ominous red light came straight for him, and he put all his power into summoning the doors. But it seemed as though he had no power left.

_I am so sorry, Merriman._ Will thought. _I failed you._ And he knew no more.

**YAY for another chapter!!! I have a whole spring break to catch up and write some more chapters. Hope to see more than one this upcoming week!!!!**

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**REVIEW!!! … I'm not insane I swear!**


	4. The Will To Live On

**AN- SO sorry that it took me really long to get this in. I had it done and everything but the document thing wouldn't let me put in a document and ya. I was hoping to get it in on the thirteenth of April.**

**It makes me happy when people review! I'm not sure when Harry and Will are going to meet but I have an idea that I'm going to run with. I'm not going to tell you if Snape is light or dark because honestly I'm not sure yet either. Once again I have an idea but I am not entirely positivly sure. I thought the line break things worked but I guess they don't for some people, so I'll be sure to include my own ones. **

**Thanks soooooooooo much for reviewing and here's the next chapter!**

**Chapter Four**

**The Will to Live On**

Two days left and he would be able to leave. Then one year after that and he would be free from his relatives forever. Harry couldn't wait. He had finished all his homework for the summer and now had nothing to do.

He continued to wake up early but with no homework left, he just sat there on his bed staring at the ceiling, doing absolutely nothing, knowing nothing about what was going on. He abhorred it.

Harry looked at the clock. Only twenty minutes left until he would have to get up and make breakfast. Aunt Petunia still made him do the morning meals, whether it was because she didn't feel like waking up that early, or she liked his cooking. He had to admit he was a pretty good cook but it was only because of all those years of practice.

Deciding to give the Dursleys a treat, he got up and went downstairs quietly; expertly dodging the squeaky stairs. He made it to the table before he noticed the odd looking newspaper. Someone was gracious enough to keep him up to date on what was happening! Probably an Order Member who was on watching duty. Dumbledore probably thought Harry couldn't handle himself well enough. _I wonder why they even gave me one in the first place._ He was still pleased that someone had thought of his situation and enlightened him. _Maybe it was Moody or Tonks._

His first glance at the front-page headline was plenty to ruin his mood. It said:

**Attack On Diagon Alley!**

**Supposed He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Sighting!**

The date said it was a week earlier that the sighting had happened. He couldn't believe they gave the newspaper a _week_ later! Were they _trying_ to anger him?

"Why don't they tell me these things sooner!" Harry cried. He threw the paper back on the table. Not long after he had done that, he heard monstrous thumps coming from the stairs. _Uh oh,_ was his only thought as he saw his Uncle Vernon's purple face.

"Boy! What the hell do you think your doing in my kitchen so early in the goddamn morning? I let you stay in _my_ house with no complaint from us and _this_ is what you repay us with? Waking us up at an ungodly hour?" Harry looked at him incredulously, it was only seven thirty.

_I hope the Order is watching now, considering the fact that they started it._ He thought bitterly as the man came towards him. The newspaper lay forgotten on the table while his Uncle dragged him, by his hair, to the door leading to the basement. Harry's only reaction was a wince. He did not struggle; there was no attempt at escape at all. To everyone in the house he had become a rag doll.

Once Vernon had thrown him down the flight of stairs, Harry tried to anticipate the attacks to make it less painful. He was slightly disoriented by the fall and the initial hair pulling but fortunately, his Uncle seemed disoriented by the exercise. In the end, though, the older man had the advantage.

The beatings were just as horrific as they were before the Order had intervened. It seemed that his Uncle had been thinking up new creative ways of terrorizing him. But Harry would not give him the pleasure of screaming. The only sounds that emitted from his mouth were slight moans of pain and jagged breaths.

By the time the man stopped, Harry was almost unconscious in a puddle of his own blood. He seemed dead but the slow, troubled breaths were a sign that he wasn't. He had bruises all over his body and it seemed he had a couple of broken fingers where his Uncle had been terribly vicious; only on his left hand. Most of the main injuries were near areas he could cover up easily since the Dursleys still were afraid of magic and 'those freaks' coming back.

Pleased at what he could do and the power it gave him, Vernon spit on the boy. "Keep that in mind the next time you feel like waking us up. I'll be generous to give you the morning off but come afternoon and you're not up here cleaning the house," He grinned sadistically which turned his face into a horrid sight, "And you would wish you had never been born." _I already do,_ Harry thought sadly.

The elephant went up to his family and total silence remained. The sixteen year old slowly got into a more comfortable arrangement on the floor wincing at what cuts scraped across the cement. Once in a sitting position, he got ready to heal himself like all the other times.

The boy-who-lived couldn't let his friends die the same way everyone else he loved did, so he _would_ survive. A glow that came from his will more than his magic surrounded his body as he healed the more troublesome injuries.

Harry sighed as a major cut that went from the top of his chest to the middle of his back healed up. He would have many scars; he could live with that, as long as his friends didn't have as many.

_Yes_, he though as he got up from the ground while coughing up blood._ I will live through this for my friends._

AAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAA

A white ceiling with white walls were not what Will imagined being thrown out of Time would look like. Now that he thought about it, he wasn't thrown out of Time._ I was hit with a red beam of magic._ But he was Immortal and couldn't die from something as little as that.

Feeling a presence in the room he opened his grey eyes and looked to his right. It made sense now as he looked _under_ the curtain separating him from the world outside it. He was in a hospital. Will could see some feet from under the sheet and he wondered if they were protecting him or if they were waiting to interrogate him.

He used his powers to see if anyone else was in the room. He found that there was another close by. A movement from the feet had him looking up into deep obsidian eyes.

"I see you're awake now." The man stated as he looked at Will curiously. "You gave quite a show back there."

Will continued to look back seemingly unfazed though his inner thoughts were running wild. He made a quick decision right then: he would leave as quickly as possible. Staring a bit longer attempting to intimidate him he replied, "I thought so myself."

The man clearly wasn't expecting a self-centered answer so he just stood there for a moment before glaring and pulling the curtain open. Will saw many other empty beds and wondered, _if this is a hospital then where have all the people gone to_, unless he was a special case.

"Right now," He said gaining Will's attention again. "We are in the Infirmary at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizarding. I am the Potions Professor here and you may call me Professor Snape." Here he sneered. "It seems as though Headmaster Dumbledore has forgotten one student, for you clearly have magic."

Swinging his legs over the bed, Will got up. He was still a bit groggy and dizzy but he would recover. After regaining his balance, he looked back at the Professor and prolonged the silence before asking, "So are you going to lead me out or what?" Boredom or ignorance on his part usually got him impatience, which in turn got him what he wanted; it almost always worked.

"No."

Will was slightly surprised with the answer but not completely as it _almost_ always worked. He sighed dramatically, feigning his fourteen-year old body easily. "Well then I will have to show myself out." And with that he started walking towards the only exit there was.

"I cannot let you do that." Snape walked over to Will and thus successfully blocked the exit to freedom. "You will stay here until this school deems you safe."

"Safe?" Will questioned. He didn't think he looked that dangerous. _But then again, I did show an _impressive_ amount of magic at the Wizarding market._ He mentally berated himself for showing that much power in front of regular people. Or wizards for that matter.

"For one thing, we don't even know your name." Snape looked at him pointedly. The man was starting to wear down Will's supposed infinite patience.

"My name?" That was a tough question. But seeing as how this man was going to forget later anyway he didn't see how it would matter. Still for the sake of paranoia, he wouldn't say his surname. "My name's Will. Just Will."

The professor was about to retort when the door opened slowly. Coming through was an old man wearing peculiar robes with bright blue stars on a purple canvas. He had a long white beard that was tucked into his belt and half-moon spectacles that twinkling eyes shown through. To finish off the weird outfit, a pointed hat stood on his head. He looked like Merlin from some kid's story book.

"Here's the Headmaster of this school, Albus Dumbledore."

Once their eyes met, Will knew immediately that this Albus Dumbledore wouldn't be as fooled as the Snape guy might. He was more powerful than he showed himself to be and looking old was not a trait of a powerful man. His Old One side turned on instantly when he felt a presence brush his mind. It wasn't a strong feeling but enough for Will to close up.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't invade my mind." Will stated firmly, completely changing his demeanor. He knew enough from fairy tales that some sorcerers could read minds; he was just assuming it was true. And it seemed he was correct with the astounded look on the Potions Master's face.

"And how exactly," Snape drawled. "Do you know about that? Only an experienced Occlumens should be able to tell that! You are barely fourteen years of age!" He looked incredulous.

"Ah, but looks can be deceiving," the Headmaster looked pointedly at the Old One._ Shit. I guess I shouldn't have said that_. Once again he had blown his cover. _Best get it done sooner than later._ Will thought.

Albus Dumbledore was looking too thoughtful for his own good. The Old One started to get anxious. He really needed to get out of there soon or else his identity would be discovered, despite the fact that the Rider already knew. And if the Rider was with the other 'dark lord' then more than likely this Voldemort fellow knew also.

"Um…" Will looked around the Headmaster at the door. Then he got a perfect idea. "Why don't you, Headmaster, show me around your wonderful school! I'd like so very much to see it." He made himself look hopeful and not all of it was fake. He was hoping they'd lead him to a front door. The Doors of Time didn't feel as if they would work here, almost like High Magic was keeping them shut.

"I would love to lead you around! Mister…" He looked at the boy just like the Professor did but the Headmaster was smiling instead of scowling. Actually the scowl seemed permanent on the Potion Master.

"Just Will." Will answered with a smile of his own. Snape looked as disbelieving as before except this time he didn't even get to finish a word when the Headmaster interrupted him.

"Good, Will then. Are you ready for a tour? You just woke up from being unconscious you know. We wouldn't want Poppy to be angry because we took her ward away." He chuckled. "Let's go then." Dumbledore held the door as he let Will walk out first showing trust that Snape still did not believe.

For the next few hours, too long in Will's case, Dumbledore led him throughout the castle. He learned many things about the Wizarding World that he couldn't figure out by himself. The Headmaster seemed only willing to talk about anything. But Will was growing impatient again. They hadn't yet shown him the front doors! He needed out otherwise it would take so much more power to make them forget.

They neared a room called the Great Hall as a supposed 'finale'. They opened the doors and he saw a huge room. It looked like the ceiling was the sky but he could clearly feel a presence separating him from his freedom. It was here he noted that the time was nearing the afternoon. If he stayed the night he might meet more people, making his part even harder.

There was no one in the dining room but judging the time, he figured that someone would come soon. Will knew his way around, thanks to his Old One memory, so there were only a couple of main hallways to go. He could possibly find his way out.

Will suspected that he looked suspicious at that moment considering he had stopped, staring at the two men. He mentally sighed. _Now is a better time than never._

"Well, Headmaster, Professor, I have had a wonderful time in your school. It is truly a wonder." The older man beamed slightly. "I thank you for your hospitality, but I really must be leaving." Will stood up straighter, and Dumbledore's smile faltered a little. He looked about ready to dissuade the boy, but Will interrupted with all his Old One powers shining through, his voice now impassive and his eyes slightly cold. "And you must _not_ remember who I am." With the last comment he held up his right hand, palm down, facing them. Quietly, he muttered, "Forget."

Will compelled them to sit down, and made them believe they were talking the whole time in the Great Hall. He took away all memories of himself. The Headmaster forgot too easily and Snape seemed to be trying to remember but Will was too tired to see if he did. He walked out of the hall and down a couple of the hallways that he didn't go into before. His path to freedom was between two tall imposing doors.

Making his way down the trail that led towards a small town, he thought, _what now?_

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That night, before Severus Snape fell asleep, he would remember deep, stormy grey eyes that seemed too old for their age staring into him. Those eyes would haunt him until he found them once again.

**AN- OOO foreshadowing!!! Now review!**


	5. Forbidden Forest and Topics

**AN- I am so sorry about this really really reallly late update! I mean two months and twelve days?!?! I am also sorry (in advance) for this chapter. You see I am right this moment dead tired, and burned from a day in the sun. It's late and it hurts now to lie in bed. :( But I will stop this self-pity session as I see it isnt that interesting. ...stop rambling!... sorry. **

**Snape is a hard character to put into stories. I was having a hard time with him; help is appreciated.**

**I am sooooo glad there are people out there just like me who love these two novels! I miss those people. **

**Thanks so much for the support and I hope you enjoy the chapter! Maybe I will update soon because the story will start to pick up in pace.**

**One last thing before I let you read I haven't been putting disclaimers up because I just assumed you knew that I really don't own anything. If I did you would probably know me by at least my name, address, and favorite color.**

**Enjoy your reading:D**

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**CHAPTER FIVE**

**Forbidden Forest and Topics**

Like every other year, Harry sat in a compartment at the very back of the train. His family hadn't made him do too much since he had survived the torture and made it on time to do his chores; he had actually been early. They also let him off easy because of his injuries. Harry left a couple of the ugly, but not harmful, wounds open so that his Uncle wouldn't get any ideas of him being immortal or anything. Despite the fact that even in the Wizarding world that was near impossible. In his Uncle's mind 'the freaks' could do anything to anyone.

Most of his injuries were healed on the train before anyone got there. He didn't need any person deciding that their 'Savior' needed more attention. Sweet Merlin, he hated attention.

His fingers were the hardest to heal. He wasn't very good at healing himself save broken bones. He had healed them to the point where they weren't swelled up and only hurt when he tried to lift something heavy.

While Harry sat in the compartment, he contemplated what would happen this year, his sixth. Every year something happened; Fate wouldn't let him off that easily. So he had to be prepared for anything. His Occlumency was getting better so that was a start. _Maybe that's what I will do until someone gets here._

The Boy-who-lived got in a more comfortable position on the hard seats and got to work. He had a couple of hours before anyone go there. Harry had been dropped off extremely early since the train didn't leave until nine o'clock. His relatives had to catch a plane at eight, meaning they had to be there at six. Harry had got to the station earlier than that. He had to withstand Dudley's complaining, Vernon's, shouting, and Petunia's shrieking all that morning. It seemed that Dudley was moved to a different boarding school out of the country. It made perfect sense since no one in England wanted to teach the whale.

Now he had some peace and quiet for at least three hours. He closed off his mind to all outward distractions, and got to working on his defenses.

It was almost eight thirty when he stopped, somewhat satisfied. He should be a bit prepared for when Snape bombarded his mind. Hopefully, Dumbledore would cancel them and just give him a book or something. Then life would be easier to handle.

A few moments after he stopped, the compartment door flew open to reveal two flaming heads. The Weaslys had arrived.

"Hey mate! How was your summer?" Ron said throwing his stuff on the seat. "I hope those relatives treated you okay."

Harry hid a wince. That wasn't a good question to ask. "My summer was absolutely boring. The Dursleys just ignored me most of the time." It was somewhat true, just replace 'ignored' to 'tortured' and it wasn't a lie.

"Oh, we had to stay at Grimmauld Place again." Ron said then quickly covered his mouth with his hand, while Ginny roughly elbowed him in the gut. He coughed. "But we had to go to Diagon Alley." The youngest male Weasly tried to change the subject.

"I heard about the attack. Someone gave me a newspaper," Harry scowled, "a week after it happened."

Ron and Ginny just nodded and sat down. They didn't acknowledge Harry's anger at that. They even seemed to _know_ that he had gotten it a week after. How rude! "We were there when it happened." Ginny put out. "He attacked the ice cream shop we were in. But all I remember was waking up back in Grim— …the house with mum standing there next to my bed."

"Same with me. I don't think much happened; he only attacked then left. Maybe it was a scare tactic or something."

Harry just bobbed his head distracted. He was thinking about how he wasn't there. "Did anyone get hurt?"_ Or killed _was in everyone's head.

"Surprisingly only a couple people were hurt, no one you know personally," Ron added after Harry's concerned look. "No one was killed or put under Crucio, so there wasn't anybody seriously hurt. Don't worry."

_I wonder why I didn't get a vision or something. Probably the Occlumency doing its job._ Harry thought bitterly.

The conversation seemed to dwell on less tense topics like Quidditch or who the new Defense Professor would be. Neville joined them and soon after Hermione. But she and Ron had to leave for the Prefects meeting. Luna came in a bit later and they all got to work on late summer homework that wasn't finished. Overall it wasn't all that interesting.

Later Hermione and Ron came back from whatever meeting they were at. They came to say that they were getting closer to Hogsmead and it was time for everyone to get their robes on. Ginny and Luna left the room with Hermione, promising they'd be back in a few minutes.

"Ready for this year mate?" Ron asked seriously.

"I seriously do not know. It seems that something always happens. I just wish I knew beforehand." Harry muttered the last part to himself.

"Well that's what Divinations is for right?" The red head laughed at his own joke. Harry just chuckled darkly.

"I wonder who the new DADA teacher is. We might have to resort back to our other methods of learning if this one's incompetent too." Neville added.

"Seems as though it's legal now with Madame Umbridge gone." Everyone shuddered at Ron's mention of Umbridge. Harry cradled his hand.

"Thank Merlin for that." The two other boys agreed. They were startled out of their thoughts when Hermione knocked politely at the door.

"You guys decent?"

"Yeah, you can come in." Harry replied.

"We're here. Let's get the bags on the carriages and get to Hogwarts!" Everyone was also in high spirits, Harry especially. The rain pouring outside did nothing to damp their jubilance.

Harry glanced at the thestrals and went over to softly caress their heads. They had helped in the last year's adventure, even though it had ended in a death. He swallowed a lump in his throat. They didn't bring up great memories.

"Come on Harry, or we'll be late for the Sorting!" Hermione nearly shrieked. He went to carriage and got in next to Neville, across from Ron. Thankfully he got a window seat.

Looking out the window and towards the Forbidden Forest, he saw a boy under a tree. An ordinary looking boy with nothing special was just standing at the point under the tree. There seemed to be no reason for his stance. He just looked around at his surroundings as if he had never seen them before. The boy saw the carriages and glanced towards the one Harry was in. Their eyes met. That was when Harry decided that this was no ordinary boy. He had an aura about him now that his eyes pierced through the air; ageless were his eyes. They widened slightly. Somehow Harry got the feeling that this boy wasn't recognizing him for his scar, maybe it was the fact that this boy never looked at his scar. He would have stared longer if it hadn't been for the carriages moving.

"Hey, Harry?" Ginny asked touching his arm gently. "Are you okay?" She stared into his eyes. His head bobbed almost unnoticeable, but she caught it. The boy-who-lived looked through the window again only to find the Forbidden Forest farther away then his vision could penetrate.

_That was quite odd; a good way to start the year of with. What would the Slytherins think if they heard that statement out loud? Harry Potter becomes sarcastic and bitter; a change in life as we know it._

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Walking down the path, Will started to worry. _What happens if they remember something because I was too tired to fix the problem?_ Developing a headache, Will prodded down towards the forest that surrounded the little town. _Better to not be noticed for a time in case they do remember._ He cautiously entered the forest, with his Old One senses at full blare. Since nothing seemed to be in his general area, he went a bit farther into the woods.

_I hope Merriman doesn't get angry when I meet up with him._ Will thought while still walking through the brush_. I always seemed to do something wrong._ He remembered the times when he strayed off the Old Paths bitterly. _It just goes to show that not even an Old One knows the right way to go all the time. _They sometimes even get lost. Will looked up from where he was standing as his headache grew some more.

"Uh oh." The Old One had absolutely no idea what direction he had come from. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he completely blanked on his surroundings. He glanced around himself. Green everywhere, no birds singing, not a single sound, eerie. But seeing as there was a magical castle just on the horizon, it made sense.

The headache, ever so pleased in making sure its host knew of its presence, suddenly enlarged tenfold. Will cried out as he fell in heap on the floor. Grabbing his head in agony, he gritted his teeth. One last check and he could succumb. He used his powers to sense if anyone or anything Dark was around him. Fortunately, nothing was around. The Old One gave up trying to stay conscious. He blacked out.

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The sheer torture he was in was immense. Will couldn't tell if it was his whole body suffering or his mind playing tricks on him. Maybe it was the Dark and Will had sensed wrong. His instinct told him to expect this but he was in too much anguish to comprehend why. His fourteen year old body kept telling him it was not understandable; that there was no reason he should be feeling this. The Old One side was attempting at pushing the wretchedness in the depths of his mind when he finally figured out the reason for his pain.

Pictures, not unlike the Book of Gramarye, started to fly through his eyes. This time though, instead of being similar to a joyride, was complete and utter torment. He watched as the whole of Severus Snape's life passed by. What he experienced was something that no child, even Will at his immortal stage, should ever experience, much less Snape. It was too much for him to handle. It was sickening what the many people had done to this man and the Old One felt every single punch and kick acted against him. Then as if on some random impulse, his mind switched gears to another man, Albus Dumbledore. His memories were not terrible; instead they seemed to be more of socks and hard candies that looked suspiciously familiar. Will didn't get the whole life story of Dumbledore though. The pain quickly subsided when the memories stopped reeling by. His mind took all the information in efficiently and after it was all done he had to sort out what he had just learned; all of it.

He now had the full knowledge of Snape's life, including his magical schooling and pretty much anything you needed to know about potions. He also knew what that boy with the Killing curse green eyes (He had learned all about the Unforgivables too)'s name was: Harry Potter. Will also figured that Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, the Savior of the Wizarding world, was to be protected. That was his mission and purpose for being here; to watch the boy.

When Will felt he could at least move his head, he breathed deeply. _Well, that was interesting. I think I'll try not using my powers against wizards. Who knows what the repercussions could end up being._ Will thought. _At least now that I have information on the Wizarding World I can be fully prepared for what I need to do._ Keeping his eyes closed he pushed himself into a sitting position and he lay against a tree that was behind him. He breathed deeply once more but noticed something as he did. The smell was different. He let his senses show him who or what was around him. Will stifled a gasp. He was surrounded.

The sight Will opened his eyes to was not at all what he expected. He half expected raging animals or furious humans. But this creature, _Centaur_ his mind provided from Snape's knowledge, was neither man nor animal but a hybrid between a man and a horse. Will had heard of them but that was only in fairy tales. _Of course, being immortal is a completely different story. _Will's sarcastic comment went unheard as the main centaur walked slowly up to Will with a bow taut and ready to kill. This centaur felt bigger than the rest. His reddish brown mane stood above two proud hazel eyes.

"Why do you go through our lands again, _Human_, when you and your kind were clearly rude as of late spring?" He looked down his nose at Will. "You don't deserve to live." With that last part said he tightened his bow string tighter as if daring the Old One to do something.

Will stood up slower with his hands above his head showing he was unarmed. "I believe that you have your facts all wrong." He glanced around and could feel many others. _So this is a spokesman of sorts_.

"And why do you say that?" The centaur started to anger even more but as his memories told him, centaurs were patient beings that had to wait for the stars to come out every night.

"Well," Will sighed; this was going to take a while._ I already made one mistake what would change if I made another?_ He continued, "I'm not exactly human." The boy could practically feel the others' eyes widen comically. He mentally chuckled, _I wonder if Merriman ever had to go through this. No, he probably kept to the code and never told anyone. _He_ had more than himself to talk to._

"Not exactly human?" another centaur, black this time, came out. He had a sharp angular face with long dark hair that fell in his face. He brushed his hair out of his eyes and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?" The centaur came forward with his bow behind his back and two daggers in his hands. "How are you not a human? You look like one." He must have been younger than the others since all the centaurs Will could see gave him scolding looks.

"He, if I'm not mistaken," a third centaur, looking much older than the rest, came through some of the bushes to Will's right, "is from a very old race. We must treat him with much respect. Though why you are here is a very good question." The graying centaur with clear blue eyes looked a bit like Professor Dumbledore in that moment.

Will lucked out on telling more about himself than he had to. These beings understood him in a way no one had since Merriman left.

"About why I'm here, let's see… I walked into the forest thinking a lot on a subject that pushed me into using my entire mind and concentration. I… got a headache, probably from the lack of food and water on me. And well I sort of passed out before I could really figure out where to go. So terribly sorry, I promise that it will not happen again." Will explained. The older centaur gazed at Will a little while longer before making judgment.

"We shall bring you before the council and then see what to do with you, _Old One_." He glanced knowingly behind his broad shoulder before leading the group back to their territory. Will followed. The redheaded centaur kept behind the immortal and closely scrutinized every little thing Will did.

"Don't mind him," the little black one came forth. "Caeneus just doesn't like humans all that much." He started to whisper secretively, "He also doesn't like to be proven wrong." They both shared a short chuckle and continued on farther into the forest.

If Will was hoping to get out alive, he didn't expect to do so with a new friend. "By the way, I'm Pirithous, but you can call me Piri." He held out his hand in a polite greeting.

"I'm Will and it's nice to meet you." He smiled at his newly found friend who smiled brightly back. Caeneus just looked between the two of them and grunted.

The trip there was long and the Old One kept himself from rubbing his feet. He didn't want to use his powers to reduce the slight irritation for fear that the Dark would find him. He would protect this race as well as the human/wizard race. So he set a determined face on and continued on without complaining. Thankfully, Piri kept up the entertainment for the hours they walked. He told stories of when he was younger (only a couple of years back) and of embarrassing stories about their clan. Many times they would burst out laughing to gain a few puzzled looks from the front of the line.

"And then poor, poor Caeneus decided to make a bet. A bet! He didn't know that we had sabotaged that game completely. He had absolutely no chance of winning… You should have seen the look on his face when he lost! That was such a great day." Will couldn't help but smile a little. They have a family to make fun of and have fun with. Will had nothing. He had given it up for the greater good.

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When they finally reached their destination it was well into the night. Caeneus decided to himself that the centaurs could survive without him watching Will's every move. He left the group as they continued walking.

The camp was fairly organized. It had many cottage like things that blended well into the background forest. There was one path that was clearly shown, which was the one they were on, but many littler, less obvious paths alongside. A lot of the older centaurs were gathered around an opening of the foliage a little further down. It looked like a meeting where no one talked. The path passed by the group so Will had a chance to see what was going on.

"It seems as though a very old ally will be joining us tonight," one of the older centaurs softly stated. They all made some sort of agreement. Unnervingly a second or so later they all glanced over at Will.

Not knowing what to say, Will said nothing. Piri gazed over at his new friend concerned.

The old centaur who had led them there, said without glimpsing at the scene behind him, "He is here. We take him to the council to see if he will help."

They all nodded as one and joined the group to walk to a much bigger cottage thing. It was a bit away from the clearing and it was still obscure from their distance. Upon entering the meeting area he noticed it was the size of a small stadium and he was sure if he were to yell, there would be an echo. The leader made his way to the center and raised his voice enough to be heard by all. Many centaurs had added to their procession through the town and they had many more than the original collection.

"Today is the day we have been waiting for. We have stared at the stars and learned from them our future. Never has our kind ever witnessed the Ancient we have in our presence. What more could any centaur ask for than a prophesized Old One?" A few of the newer centaurs gasped and gazed at Will in a different light. "Yes, he is one who understands what we believe in. No human may ever achieve his high standing in our culture. He has been brought to us and we must ask an important question, for the answer may yet show what paths we must follow in the future." The old centaur stared at Will with a look he had never encountered before. A look of sincere hope that he could help. Will automatically knew what the question was and he had already answered earlier.

Without even waiting for the question to be verbalized, the young immortal responded, "I, the last of the Old Ones, will live to help all of those who will continue to serve this world in peace. They shall be given from me help in troubled times." Will lowered his head in respect before continuing. "All I ask in return is fellow allies who I may turn to in my need of assistance."

The leader walked forward towards Will. Everyone around him stepped back a few paces in reverence. He placed his hand over his heart and nodded his head while Will did the same. The previous formalities were dropped.

"My name is Koronus and I welcome you to our community within the Forbidden Forest."

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Will stayed with the centaurs for a total of twelve days. He got to know most of them by personality and all of them by name. The younger ones seemed to adore him as he would always tell them of his experiences with his family. This was the one time he could freely talk of them without the paranoia of repercussions.

Piri still seemed to entertain and Will learned that he was the son of Koronus, the leader of the centaurs. He was next in line for leadership but most of the community didn't think he was even close to being ready.

He rarely saw Caeneus but that reason seemed to be the centaurs fault. The redhead was the one avoiding Will not the other way around. It seemed that what pride he had when he was interrogating Will was lost when he learned who Will was. The whole situation just reduced Piri to fits of laughter, while Koronus was clearly amused.

All in all, Will had gained many new friends and aids in his upcoming battles. He now had someone to talk to, even if they were deep into the forest. There was still an option. Will was content in knowing he wasn't alone in his plight to save the world from eternal darkness.

The day he decided to leave was a cheerless day for the community. They knew he would come when called but it was still sad to see him go. Piri would accompany him to the edge of the forest at the city he had seen before, Hogsmeade.

It took a day of slow, half-hearted walking to get to the town. Both suspected that they would see each other again sometime, but it was still harder than imagined to just walk away.

"I don't think I can write since I do not have a method of sending mail." Will said solemnly.

"Oh, no need to worry about that!" The energetic centaur chirped. "We have birds who send mail back and forth; I can use one of them. Then you can just send back your letter with the bird I send. Problem solved." Will smiled at Piri's childish actions. He wished he could be a child once again. But his childhood ended that fateful Midwinter's eve before his eleventh birthday.

"You had better be careful with those wizards. They can be manipulative when they need to be. Just look at the goblins! Working for humans…" He trailed off obviously thinking about their culture compared to the goblins.

"I think you had better be careful with your family." Will joked. The centaurs were known to be patient beings but when Piri came into the picture, many things were thrown of course. The laughed softly for a bit before they quieted down.

"I will hear from you Old One." He said forcibly.

"And I will hear from you fellow centaur." They clasped hands in a formal goodbye. Piri grinned and quickly embraced the immortal. Will thought he heard the centaur mutter something along the lines of, "no need for the seriousness."

They went their separate ways and Will walked out of the forest. He had arrived to see that it was not a pleasant day. The tree he was under seemed to give some protection from the downpour but Will didn't mind too much. He had too much on his mind to care.

Glancing around, he leaned slightly against the base of his tree. There was a train station filled to the brim with kids who were getting into carriages. The horses pulling them looked like dead horses with wings and Will got a slight chill from them.

Becoming bored, Will decided he would go into town to see if he could find shelter from the rain. He pushed himself from his leaning position and looked around him again. One carriage caught his attention. There in the window was his ward. His eyes widened as he realized how close he was to his target. He was a stride away, close enough to protect.

Will continued to watch the carriage carrying the boy-who-lived until he could no longer identify details. Problem one: finding the boy, solved. Problem two: finding a suitable shelter, still pending.

**AN- please review!**


	6. Discovery of the Perceived Unknowns

**I think I'm going to have to say this every time... I am soo terribly sorry about the late update. About a week ago I had this writing spree! It doesn't mean the story's going to be good just means I had a big urge to write. I almost lost it though. This chapter is dedicated to two friends of mine who died in a car accident on Friday.**

** R.I.P Kylie and KP**

**May your souls have great fun partying it up with the big guy. :)**

CHAPTER SIX

Discovery of the Perceived Unknowns

"Are you sure you're okay?" Hermione reiterated Ginny's earlier statement. Harry had been acting weird all throughout dinner and no one knew why. He was very drawn into himself in what looked like a severe internal battle.

Harry peaked from under his bangs, which had grown a bit longer. His emerald eyes seemed duller than normal. "I'm fine," he snapped. Hermione lifted her hands in defeat and walked over to where Ron was leading the first years.

"What is it? You look like you've gotten less than an E on an OWL." She smiled; Ron always knew how to cheer her up. "So really what's up?"

They had been growing closer since the end of last year. Harry didn't seem to want to talk over the summer so they had owled each other almost every other day. It seemed that this year the same reason would also draw them even closer.

"Harry's still acting strange. I think something happened over the summer. He can't still be mourning over Sirius' death can he?" She seriously didn't think someone could beat themselves down for so long without consequences.

"He appeared to on the train today. We shouldn't bring anything up though; wait for him to come to us. He will don't worry." She nodded and glanced over her shoulder at the green-eyed boy. The shadows were flitting across his face as he stared at the ground.

They would give him space until he came to them. She just hoped he came soon.

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Trying to find shelter in the pouring rain was not a good idea. The rain wouldn't stop and it was growing darker by the minute. Hogsmeade didn't really have anyplace to stay and not many that were still open, so Will went towards a lit up pub that looked slightly dodgy called Hog's Head. He really needed to get out of the rain. The sign showed a boar's head with blood spilling off it. Not in the least bit comforting.

Gathering his courage he pushed the door open and walked through confidently. The place wasn't very clean; in fact, it looked like it had never been cleaned at all. There was only one room and many people were wearing something to cover up their faces with. From the faces he could see, they did not look friendly. He walked towards the bartender.

"Did you miss your carriage?" The man asked slightly concerned.

"Um, no, I'm not a student. I was wondering if you had a room I could stay in for a day or two." The man, who looked suspiciously like Dumbledore, gazed down skeptically.

"What are you doing here after dark? You know it isn't safe to be out anymore, right?" The bartender started to dry a glass. "Don't answer that. Your business shouldn't be any of my business so I'll ignore that you're under fifteen." He glanced around the room for a second. "Follow me, kid." And with that he headed towards the side door.

They started up some stairs that appeared to be worn. The smell that Will was able to block out before strengthened with the height of the stairs. He wrinkled his nose. The silence continued on as they rose higher and higher. Finally the immortal broke it with a statement.

"I fear I do not know your name."

The man looked behind his shoulder slightly and Will could have sworn he saw the hint of a smirk on his face as if he had won a little game.

"And I do not know yours." He stopped and opened a door in front of him, ushering him into the room. "But if you must call me something, call me Aberforth."

"And you may call me Will." The Old One smiled gently. "I don't have very much money so I'll be willing to work my wages off. Of course if you let me." The boy looked down.

"I'm sure you could help around here for a bit." The old man grinned. "This place has needed a good cleaning for a while now." Will laughed quietly. "Get some rest and I'll come back up here in the morning."

Will nodded his assent and Aberforth left.

Looking around his room, it was no surprise to see that it too, was filthy. There was a small but comfortable looking bed in the corner with a table next to it. Across from the bed was a cabinet for clothes. It wasn't much but it was better than a tree. It still wasn't as clean as a tree though. The Old One sighed. It would take a while to get the grime off the windows. But he would leave that task for tomorrow. Today, the boy was ready for a good night's rest.

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For Harry, the first couple of weeks went by terribly slow. He was excelling in all his classes and spent most of his time in the library, even more so than Hermione. Besides his friends, everyone just thought he was trying to learn everything he could before the Dark Lord made his move. They wanted Harry to finish him off. But Harry could only pity the Wizarding World as he probably wouldn't be able to kill Voldemort.

It was a Wednesday morning with Double Potions first thing and Harry wasn't in high spirits. It seemed they always had potions in the mornings. Luckily for Ron, he didn't receive a high enough OWL score to get into a higher Potions class so instead, he had Divination.

"Good luck, Harry!" Ron said as he shoved some bacon into his mouth at the breakfast table. "It's a smaller class this time and Snape will find anything to criticize you with." A hint of a smile passed the boy-who-lived's face.

"Don't worry Ron, if anyone needs luck it's you with Divination. Seeing as how the class is harder with Firenze. You actually have to work!" Green eyes lit up in amusement.

The Morning owls flew in at that moment and screeching filled the Great Halls ears. One of the school owls landed right in front of the trio and stuck its leg to Harry.

Suspicion made him open the letter cautiously. The loopy-green writing was easy enough to figure out who it was from. Harry sighed.

"Dumbledore says that I have to start up Occlumency lessons again on Thursdays." The thought of the greasy git raping his mind and invading his privacy did not brighten his mood. He had experienced it before but it was worse now that he had more terrible memories to hide. Glancing up at the Staff table it seemed that Snape was less than pleased. The man glared down at him. "I don't think that today's class is going to be any better than the last, in fact I expect it to be worse."

His friends looked at him sympathetically. "Just try to ignore him, Harry." Hermione suggested.

"How can I ignore a man who hates me with all his being and hovers around my cauldron making inane comments all the bloody time?"

Hermione bristled. "Language."

"Sorry, mate but I'm going to have to agree with 'Mione on this one." Ron butted in.

The green-eyed boy looked at the Weasly in disbelief. "You _always_ swear." The redhead answered sheepishly, "I meant about the ignoring."

"Either way," Harry continued, "he was going to find fault in anything I did without having a reason to be angry with me. I mean," he glanced back up at Snape. "I am _exactly_ like my father." Sarcasm was clearly evident. How could he be anything like his father when their only similarities were the look, the flying ability, and his tendency to get in trouble?

There was an uncomfortable silence that settled on the trio. The noise in the Great Hall seemed to diminish with their silence until there was a soft murmur of people talking. The last sentence hanging precariously in the air. They finished their breakfast and walked to their first class in their continued silence.

Ron wished him luck quietly and went the direction of the tower where Divinations was held. Hermione and Harry made their way down to the dungeons. Anyone watching would think they were walking to their death.

When they reached the door, five minutes early, the bushy-haired girl also wished him luck and went into the room. It was now or never, Harry sighed. He entered after a couple of stragglers coming in. It was a good sign that everyone was there. Maybe Snape wouldn't be as callous with everyone on time. As Harry looked around again at the occupants he noticed that Malfoy was missing. The blonde was probably trying to locate him just to harass him since he hadn't yet today. Potions would be the perfect place for Malfoy to do it. Why the Professor had to put the Slytherins with the Gryffindors in Potions, no less, he had no idea.

Everyone but Harry flinched as the door slammed shut. Malfoy came smirking in and sat on his side of the room while Snape glided in.

"Do what is on the board. Hopefully," he glared at Harry. "you will be able to do this correctly and without Mr. Longbottom to distract you I'm sure you could finish in time. Begin."

And with that the day started. Potions was a train wreck for the boy-who-lived. It seemed he always had some little thing wrong and Snape made him start again. He had to restart his potion at least four times! He left the dungeons with a detention and Gryffindor had lost a total of forty-five points.

"At least it's over for the week." Hermione tried comforting him. "We don't have Potions until next Wednesday." She patted his arm and led him through the hall.

"But I have to see him tomorrow night." His monotone voice echoing off the walls. "And he has to make me relive terrible memories." Harry shuddered. For once in his life he was worried for himself. He didn't want to seem weak but his memories were hard to watch sometimes. Snape would revel in his anguish. But his Occlumency was better than before so he might just occlude Snape tomorrow night.

"Hey," Ron came jogging up. "How was that dreadful class?" He looked at Harry for a response. Harry smirked slightly and answered,

"Dreadful."

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Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon passed ultimately way too fast. The evening found Harry trudging his way down to the dungeons where he would meet his doom. The night before he had put all the terrible memories of summer behind a barrier and put Sirius falling in the front. Despite being painful, it seemed like the thing Snape would expect. What Harry was hoping for was that he would be able to occlude everything and kick the Potions Professor out of his mind.

He opened the door to the classroom slowly and looked inside. Snape was at his desk grading papers. Harry knocked, despite the fact that he already had the door open.

The man looked up sharply and did a quick Tempus charm to see the time. As if to cover up that he had lost track of time he replied, "Not late, Potter? What a surprise." He got up from his chair and stalked towards Harry.

"What shall I see tonight, Potter? Care to share?" He seemed especially malignant today. He didn't even prepare Harry as he snapped sharply, "You will answer that! Legimens!"

Predictably, the first memory to come up was that of Sirius falling. Harry tried harder to shove him out but Snape fought back. More memories were coming forward. The ride to the train station, the awkward silences between his friends, Ron and Hermione leaving together at random times, Harry feeling completely left out of their trio, petting the thestrals on the ride to Hogwarts, seeing that strange boy with the ageless eyes by the Forbidden forest… And it stopped.

Harry glanced up from his place where he had somehow fallen and looked at his professor. He was stunned to see that the older man didn't look any better than he did. He, too, was panting and looking shocked to the core.

Snape gazed back at Harry intently. "Do you know this boy?" He watched every movement Harry made.

"Why would you want to know?" The boy's courage was coming through at precisely the wrong time.

"Ten points for cheek." Snape sneered. "You would do well to tell me this otherwise I'll just take it from you by any means necessary."

Harry glared and said nothing. Snape raised an eyebrow. "Is that an invitation to show me?" Shuffling his feet, he looked down. He didn't want Snape to go into his mind again. He felt weak and it made him feel ashamed. "I don't know who he is, sir. I just saw him on the way to school."

The potions master watched him for a little more before sighing. "Go back to your dormitory before curfew. If Filch catches you it's not my problem." Harry looked through his bangs with wonder. Professor Snape let him off without any punishment. For once in his short life, Harry left the potions classroom without a verbal lashing. He practically skipped all the way back to the Gryffindor Common room. He was excited to share his news with Hermione and Ron.

When he got there, both his friends were no where in sight. He decided to look for them considering this information was very important.

When, after three hours, Harry still could not find them, he chose to sit it out and wait for them next to the fireplace. He wondered why they would leave without telling him, or at least leaving a note. What would they have to hide from him? He had his secrets but he kept those for good reason. What reason did they have? Bitter feelings of resentment were gradually coming to the surface.

His good mood shattered, Harry waited.

aaaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAAaaaAAA

Severus Snape leaned heavily on his desk. Memories that were locked away, he was remembering again. The process was never an easy one.

He pushed himself off the desk and moved to his private quarters. There was a secret door in his office that would only allow him through. The potions master used it often and it made the students think he was a bat. Considering they never saw him leave his classroom except for meal times and they might glimpse him leaving for his night duties.

He went back to thinking about what he had seen with Potter.

_The boy, Will, must be around the area_._ Maybe during the next Hogsmeade I could skip and look for him. I have plenty of questions to ask. Hogsmeade is only a week away there's always a chance._

His reason for finding him had strengthened. How could a boy who didn't even know Hogwarts, know how to do an obliviation at that power? To fool Albus Dumbledore? If Voldemort knew he would use the boy for his own! _That won't happen though because I will find him first._

And with that thought in his mind, he went off to find couples snogging in cupboards.

**AN:**

**If I've said it once I'll say it again, I am soooooooo sorry. And if you do find errors and other mistakes not just on this chapter but others as well, be sure to tell me! I'll fix them right away. I don't have a beta (I think that's what they're called) so ya. Review! please and thank you.**


	7. New Friends and New Tensions

**AN- Once again I apologize that I didn't get this out sooner. But I hope you enjoy it! **

**A special thanks to all my reviewers: yamanana, sparkling-stone, Jjinks, Truth and Reconciliation, Eldrina Sedai, GinaStar, and oxSiLentCuRiosItYox. It makes me happy to see people reading my story and actually liking it. :D**

**Disclaimer- I keep forgetting to say that I don't own anything. I don't own anything in the previous chapter that I haven't said so. I would think that if I was a famous writer, I would have many more reviews. **

**A chapter for the New Year!**

**CHAPTER 7**

**New Friends and New Tensions**

Cleaning seemed to come as a habit to Will as he tidied up his room. He had been in Hog's Head for almost a full month and was getting used to the routine. He had become good friends with Aberforth and was starting to regret it as his time to leave would be soon.

"Don't get too attached." He mumbled as he put his meager set of clothes away. "It will just be harder for them to forget you." But he was starting to like where he was staying. The Wizarding World was easier to enjoy than the muggle world. If Will ever slipped up, it wasn't taken as him being crazy but normal. Not that he did, but just in case.

"Will," someone called from the stairs, "your shift starts in three minutes!" Aberforth had given him a job once he found out that Will was a good little helper. So for the past two weeks, he bussed around the tables and washed the dishes. Aberforth figured that cleaning by hand always seemed to get it done better than magic.

Will hurried down the stairs and got into the kitchen. "Sorry, but I was just cleaning a bit more in my room."

The older man's eyes twinkled almost identical to Albus' eyes. "You really are a clean freak aren't you?" Will just smiled brightly. "I have a special errand for you today." The Old One looked at him quizzically and waited a couple of seconds before his curiosity gave in.

"Well?"

"Don't get impatient on me now! We are running low on some of the Potions and I need you to go and get the ones I need for the Hogwarts outing today. Now," he looked at Will sternly. "This will be the first time I will let you run errands for me with money. Don't break my trust."

Will smiled proudly at his friend. He was happy that the man trusted him. "Don't worry, sir, I wont."

Aberforth handed him a bag of money as Will headed out. "This doesn't mean you're off for today!" The boy just waved his hand flippantly in the air and before he left he heard Aberforth mutter to his early customers, "That boy will be the death of me." Chuckles followed him out the door.

As he was walking toward the local Apothecary, a falcon flew from the forest and landed on his shoulder. The multi-colored bird had bright yellow eyes that stood out from its dark face. It stuck out its leg that held a letter.

"Ah, thank you, my friend but I'm afraid I do not have anything to give in return." He took the parchment and the bird nipped his fingers affectionately. It stayed perched on his shoulder.

Will read the letter as he walked slowly down the street.

_Dear Will,_

_The forest just isn't the same without you here! Even though you were here for less than a fortnight. Nothing new has happened in the short time that I haven't seen you. Caeneus is just as stubborn and cranky that he messed up who you were and many of the centaurs are still quite amused by the whole thing. He is acting like a foal! Oh, before I forget the clan says hello and that you are welcome back any time you need to escape the Wizarding World. Well, keep yourself safe and I hope to be hearing from you shortly!_

_The falcon's name is Kip and the community decided that you should keep her. She'll be your companion when I cannot be there._

_Take care,_

_Piri_

"So your name is Kip?" Will asked the bird. She bristled her feathers and puffed out her chest proudly. "A beautiful name for a beautiful bird." He smiled as she crooned and rubbed her head against his slightly messing up his hair. "I guess I'm not as alone as I thought I was." He patted her head lightly and shoved the letter into a pocket. He would write to Piri when he was done working.

He got to the Apothecary and let Kip fly in the air.

"I'll be back in a few alright? You just find something to do while I'm in there." She flew around in a circle and then high in the air.

Will walked into the store. He found that when he did regular errands such as picking up stuff for Aberforth, people were more cautious. He was a stranger to anyone who didn't go to the pub daily.

The man inside looked as if he never got out. He had a pale complexion and dark hair. It seemed that all potion Masters had the same look. His hair was greasy as well. His brown eyes darted up from the potion he was working on.

"Hold on for a moment while I stabilize the potion." He faintly said. The apothecary sounded as if there was a silencing ward around it, nothing but the sound of bubbling liquid came forth. The man's voice sounded as if it would never yell; as if it too had been corrupted by a small silencing ward.

After a few minutes the man stepped away from the now blue potion and walked toward Will.

"Well, what can I do for you?"

"I'm running errands for Aberforth, sir, and he said he needed some of the customary potions. He didn't tell me what they were so I assume you know?"

The man nodded and said he'd be back in a few minutes. Will looked around the room. It smelled horrible but the man must be used to it. He found that he could easily name all the potions on the shelves. Walking around the room, he continued on naming them all. Many of them were not labeled but yet he could still name them. He did receive a Potion Master's memory after all.

He turned the corner and found the man looking at him with suspicion and awe. He was holding the potions tightly in his hands.

"Where did you learn all that?" He asked in his small voice. He came closer. "Only precious few know about these last couple." He pointed the top shelf that had the ones that weren't labeled.

Will started. Had he been reading them out loud? Another slip up that Merriman would never have done. Thankfully the Old One had thought up a story before hand. Aberforth had asked him the same question.

"I ran away from my pureblood family. I'm a squib and a disgrace to their family name. Potions was and is my favorite subject." He shrugged to add to the façade.

The story must have worked because the man nodded and handed him the potions Aberforth needed. Suddenly he started talking in a very solemn tone.

"I know how you feel, kid. It's the same story for me." He smiled bitterly. "I just didn't get away as unscathed as you did." He rubbed his throat, lost in memory. "Well," He stuck out his hand. "from fellow orphan to orphan, my name is Enki." The immortal took it and replied. "My name's Will. Thanks again for the potions. How much is it?"

The man looked thoughtful for a moment then brightened up. "Let's say that it's free if you come back and help me with my potions. I've needed a helper; my age is catching up to me." Enki chuckled softly.

"I would love to but I will have to ask Aberforth first." The older man's face fell slightly but was quickly covered with a mask of indifference. "He is the one who is giving me a place to stay. I'm sure that he will let me though." Will tried to placate the man.

"Well, when you find out, owl me." The Old One nodded cheerfully and walked to the door.

"I shall, don't worry. It was nice meeting you Enki."

"And you, Will."

The fresh air hit the boy like a wall. He never realized that it was so musty in the store until he left. He breathed deeply and looked down the street. It was filled with children! Well not children but everyone was younger than Will in a way. He started walking back to the pub.

Kip flew down and landed on his shoulder which seemed to be her spot now. She nipped his ear and stared at everyone they passed. She must not have seen many people in the forest.

Will kept his head down and walked faster than he would have normally. He didn't want to be seen by Dumbledore. If he saw him, it could trigger a memory relapse. Until Will found Harry Potter, he would remain unknown to most.

He made it to Hog's Head in record time and was let in by the heads in the doorway. Aberforth noticed him and called him over.

"We need you bussing tables real quick! Did you get the potions I asked for? Where'd you get the falcon?" He looked at the package in Will's hands and the bird on his shoulder.

"Yes but Enki, the man at the Apothecary said that it was free if I agreed to help him with his potions. So I have the money. I told him that I wouldn't until you said I could." The old man nodded.

"We'll talk about this after the rush is over. Now go and get ready and those tables need drinks!" Will shooed his bird outside and started working.

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Harry decided to go to Hogsmead with Ginny, Luna and Neville since Hermione and Ron were still ignoring him. He had blown up at them when they had gotten back from snogging. He didn't know why; it just kind of happened. Maybe it had to do with him actually being happy and them not being there to see it. They had been on his case since the train ride. It was just Harry's luck that they weren't there to see him in a content state. Ron and Hermione started being little stubborn Gryffindors and waiting for him to apologize. But he could be just as stubborn.

Many of the other students could feel the tension between the golden trio. Some of them tried to help make it better like his dorm mates. The Slytherins even backed off a bit. But neither side would give in.

In Harry's weekly session on Thursday with Snape, the greasy git brought it up many times. He said that being ignored was all Harry's fault. Which it probably was but he didn't want to admit it because it would make him feel even guiltier than before. When he got back that night, Ron and Hermione weren't even there to welcome him. That was like a stab in the back. They said they would always be there. No matter; in the end, they wouldn't get hurt because of him.

He brooded the whole week and most of his other friends avoided him. Even the prospect of quidditch didn't bring his mood up. He had declined McGonagall's wish for him to continue on the team. Oh was his head of House angry about that! She made a big deal about it. But it was Ginny's time to shine in the seeker position and Ron would make a great captain despite him being an arse as of late.

Harry was still excelling in his classes, except History of Magic, but that was to be expected. He spent the week in the library and was learning up on many different hexes. He would live up to the rumors about him learning to defeat Voldemort, even though he wasn't ready to kill someone. The Wizarding World expects too much from him. They put their lives into the hands of a sixteen year old boy who can't even deal with girls yet! The deal with Cho just didn't work out.

"So where do you want to go first?" Ginny asked their group interrupting Harry from his thoughts.

"Let's go to Honeydukes, I have to restock up on Wizarding candy." Harry attempted a smile. The attempt wasn't lost on the other friends. They brightened up immediately and tried to keep the mood up and light.

A couple of hours past and the afternoon found them in the Three Broomsticks. Everyone seemed fine and happy but there was an under layer of tension in the air that any stranger could feel. It was mostly among Harry's group but if anyone had looked closer they would feel it from many of the older Slytherins.

"You guys want another butterbeer?" Neville asked trying to break the awkward silence. Ginny sighed and agreed.

"That would be great Neville." She smiled and looked at Harry. He was rubbing his scar with a contemplative look on his face. Just as she was about to say something, his eyes widened.

"There's trouble coming our way." Luna said. Her eyes were hazy as she smiled a dreamy smile. "Come Neville, let's go back to Hogwarts." She put some money on the table and pulled the boy with her.

A bang followed by screams was heard throughout the town. Everyone jumped into action, running to the back of the room while the four friends ran out of the pub. What they saw frightened them.

Utter chaos. Harry held his head and found warmth on his hand.

"He's here."

AAaaAAAaaaAAAaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAA

A little before, Will had finished his shift and the rush died down to the regulars the later it got in the day. He smiled at a good day's work. The feeling of accomplishment flowed through him and his smile got bigger. They had a lot of people come in. Thankfully, Dumbledore didn't visit as Will was expecting. He was after all, Aberforth's brother. But maybe they had a bad relationship or something along those lines. Also fortunately, Severus Snape didn't make an appearance. He wasn't sure what would happen if even his name was mentioned. He sighed. Life was getting harder and harder to stay unknown. If all else failed he would kidnap Harry and train him in the Forbidden Forest. But he would not fail.

"Thinking hard, Will?" Aberforth came back to the kitchens. "You did well for your first Hogwarts day." He smiled; wrinkles and laughing lines came about his eyes. The old man had had a good life it seemed. If you looked closer though, he showed lines of worry and sorrow.

"Thanks." Will grinned again. "Do you want me to do anything before I go wash up?" He looked into the older man's blue eyes.

"You've done enough here today." He paused and cleared his throat. "I'm proud of you, Will." And with that Aberforth ruffled the boy's hair and walked away to one of the customers.

It would be difficult to leave. He had a new life now. People knew him and if he disappeared, people would notice. But now that he was here, he didn't want to leave. Will was enjoying himself and as much as he tried to dissuade his inner Old One, the fourteen year old came through stronger. He would watch, yes, but he would have fun while doing it.

Will shook his head and walked out the door. Kip flew down from an unknown perch and ended up on his shoulder again. She was a beautiful bird. The centaurs knew he needed companionship and did well in alleviating that. She rubbed her beak in his hair as if searching for bugs. This action made him laugh a little making people look at him strangely.

A sudden surge of darkness caught him off guard. He looked up only to hear those same gun shots as people apparated into the small town. Another wave of darkness pushed him to his knees, breathing hard. He heard people running out of shops and Aberforth hurried to get to Will. Kip flew off his shoulder when he fell and was squawking loudly while circling her master. Aberforth kneeled next to his temporary charge and all words died on his tongue when he heard a voice.

"So we meet again, Will Stanton."

Will looked up into red eyes. Voldemort was here.

**Sorry about the cliffy... :D hopefully I'll get back into the habit of writing more often. This next chapter wont be as hard to write. Hope you enjoyed it though and review!!!**


	8. Revelations

**AN- I am a cruel person... I was planning on getting this done and stuff before the end of February but many things happened at the same time and I'm still trying to recover. I hope you're not too disappointed at this chapter, but I'm sure that when I finish the story (because I WILL finish this story, as I am determined to do so) I will go back and fix everything that just doesn't sound right. Sorry about the cliffy from before. :D I just can't get enough of those. Um.. hopefully the next update will come sooner then later and I'm sure that when summer comes they should appear a tad bit faster than now.. So heres a gift for St. Patty's Day! Be Slytherin for a day and wear green! **

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own any of this... Actually I own some of it, but you catch my drift. **

**Chapter 8**

**Revelations**

"So we meet again Will Stanton."

Aberforth looked between Will and Voldemort questionably and more then a little scared. The dark wizard had been smirking until he had heard the reply.

"Yes, unfortunately." The Old One pushed himself onto his feet and his mentor stood next to him. His grey immortal eyes never left red. "So…" he paused dramatically, his Wizarding knowledge coming to the top of his mind. "What do you need that requires half of your little Death Munchers?" If Voldemort had a nose, his nostrils would be flaring. _Probably shouldn't have said that,_ Will thought.

Angrily the snake-man shouted, "You will suffer!" He raised his wand and a red light darted towards him. Aberforth, who had been watching the whole scene, pulled Will down with him as he ducked and dragged him to the pub. Voldemort looked upon the duo with disdain. "Anyone who helps him will suffer as well." The red light hit the pub owner and he fell to the ground screaming.

"No!" 

"Expeliarmis!" Harry Potter darted out of the crowd surrounding the group and everybody watched as a new red light almost hit the Dark Lord. But he dodged with barely any time to spare.

Voldemort seethed. "Harry Potter," He hissed, "what a pleasure to see you here today. It seems that I'll kill two boys with one stone." He signaled to his followers and they surrounded the group of three. 

Will looked at Aberforth as he tried to stand up. "Are you alright?" the older man glanced up, his eyes filled with pain. "Sir?" The Old One helped him stand as he wobbled on his feet. 

"Whatever comes our way, we deal with it together." He smiled grimly. "Even if it means taking the killing curse for you." Shocked, Will felt himself gaining even more respect for his mentor. 

"As I would for you." 

Meanwhile, Harry was cursing his Gryffindor rashness for all he was worth. Why did he always run into a situation where he obviously couldn't help? A rhetorical question that didn't have an answer. He sighed as he half listened to Tom's speech about mudbloods and foolish boys who thought they could stand up to him. Seriously, couldn't he figure out a new speech? It was getting old. 

Voldemort stared at him in shock and disgust. _Ah, shit I said that out loud._

"And you think, boy, that you can insult the dark lord like that?" Bellatrix Lestrange came jumping to her idol's defense, even when he didn't need it. Her eyes gleamed with something akin to anger and delight. "You, who can't even do a simple _Crucio_ spell right?" All the bystanders gasped. "Oh indeed; your little Golden Boy isn't so golden after all."

Harry glared with all his might at the bitch who murdered his godfather. 

"Harry, don't let her get to you." A voice sounded from his left. Oh, right, the people he rushed to save. He looked at the unknown voice and saw the same boy he saw so many nights ago. "You…" His green eyes widened. 

Will would have been more amused had it been a slightly different situation. 

"So Will Stanton," Voldemort continued after a short pause. "Will you join the dark? Or are you going to die a fool like the rest of the Wizarding World." Will looked on impassively. "You know the higher powers aren't allowed to help either side of the war-"

"Then where is the real Dark Lord. Where is your 'ally' Voldemort?" Will started to walk forwards slowly. "Where is your aid when it is most needed?" He whispered menacing. The snake-like man took a couple of steps back while all of his followers widened their eyes. Harry was amazed at the way the boy was scaring the man who killed his parents. To have all that power must be a great advantage. 

Will smiled viciously as he continued to walk. "If you can have help from the higher ups, then I will surely help the Light. It's a matter of balance, Tom." The Old One reiterated what Harry said earlier seeing the use of his reaction. He was close enough to hit the man or whatever he was now. 

"Ah, Will, tormenting the pathetic humans are we?" a silky voice uttered from behind him. Suddenly, Harry didn't feel so good about that power noticing the terror that seemed to strike within him at the sight of the other Lord. 

"No, Rider, that's your job." The Old One backed away from the scared Dark Lord to face his archrival. The Rider cackled manically. 

"So you've finally gotten a sense of humor after all these years being alive? Where could you have gotten it, hmm?" He appeared to be thinking. "Could it have been from Merriman? No, that's not it because he left you all alone." Will's eye twitched as he walked back to a wide-eyed Aberforth. "How about the raven boy, who so effortlessly forgot his entire heritage?" His grey eye twitched again. This Lord was getting on his nerves. The boy, Harry was looking at the Rider with a terror he held for only the killer of his parents. He could probably feel the power rolling off of the two immortals like waves of heat. "Or how about the Drew family. Surprised they're still alive what with myself torturing little Barney by-" Will couldn't take it anymore. He spread his fingers out wide toward the man and uttered a few choice words. But it seemed that he was ready for this as he sent the wave of pain right back.

"Now Watcher," he said in a patronizing tone as Will fell to his knees. "You should take your own advice given to this other boy." The Dark Lord looked to Harry. "Ah, the boy-who-lived," he bowed mockingly. "To what do I owe this acquaintance?"

The boy looked at the Rider then to Will, his eyes pleading for help. "Don't worry little human," he said mockingly, "I cannot harm you in any physical way." He looked back to the immortal struggling to get back on his feet. The effort Will was making seemed to please him greatly. "Come now, Watcher, surely a little pain wont hurt you that badly. After all, Merriman taught you to be his little duplicate." He spat out clearly not liking how Will had defeated him.

Will, after finally getting to his feet, backed up towards where he knew Aberforth to be. His mind gave him the possible probabilities of escape for the humans around. The innocents behind him had yet to move even though the man (thing, he does not resemble a man) they all feared to the point where some would piss their pants at his name, was right in front of them. The boy, Harry was closer to the front near him so he could easily reach out his hand and grab him. Aberforth was behind him, so he could push himself backwards causing them all to fall. If he could find strength to make a barrier in between the crowd of Death Eaters and the inhabitants of Hogsmeade, they might be able to survive. 

Voldemort took this moment of silence to send the killing curse at Harry, who ducked. He had been ready for that assuming that the man would make such a move. 

"Fool!" The Rider turned angrily. "Do you need a lesson of who your betters are? You are not to make a move unless I tell you to!" He had made the mistake of his career by turning his back on his enemy. Will took this opportune moment and set up a strong wall made of the earth in front of them. He grabbed Harry and threw himself backwards knocking Aberforth down, giving them ample space from the debris flying.

The Order showed up at that exact time to find the Death Eaters all apparating away in fear of this immortal boy who could apparently do wandless magic. They watched as Voldemort and a newer figure argued before they either disappeared by disapparating or simply fading from view. 

"Showing up late once again?" Harry spat out once he knew Voldemort was gone. "Someone could have died and you show up a crucial ten minutes late!" He looked at the witches and wizards before him in disgust. His earlier anger at being abused during the summer and being left out of what was happening came through full throttle. He seethed visibly.

"Harry," the sound of the calm, collected, and pain-filled voice stopped him from lecturing the group. "Sometimes," continued Will, "pent anger should be let out on more deserving characters. The past is the present is the future. Should one affect the other?" His eyes bored into green. "Of course. But one should be able to decide how it does so." Harry searched the immortal's eyes for deceit; he found none. Harry sighed and Will put his hand on the taller boy's shoulder. 

Albus Dumbledore was amazed at how well these two knew each other. He had regained his memory of this powerful boy and thought about how much he could be as an asset to the Order, who had indeed came late. They had tried to contact everyone in the well-concealed group and it had taken a good seven minutes. They had arrived no less then five minutes later. The older man looked around and saw his brother slightly supporting the boy he had just remembered. The boy must have been hiding right under their noses the whole time. He wondered if Severus had regained his memories, for he was sure the man had resisted to the memory charm. 

The crowd started to disperse back to their homes or shops in hope to forget what they had witnessed. Aurors hadn't even showed up! This was going to be in the paper tomorrow, if at least for the indecency of the Wizarding protection system. 

"Harry, my boy, you should get back up to Hogwarts and head directly to the hospital wing. If you would escort your younger friend there for me too, that would be excellent." Dumbledore took action. He walked towards his brother as Harry and Will walked the opposite direction without complaint with a mighty bird following above. 

Will knew the confrontation would be difficult to go through. He had many choices, many of which didn't appeal in any way. The one he finally decided on though was the only option that seemed to come out in a slightly more positive outcome. 

Harry glanced at his newfound friend. He was thinking deeply, letting his feet direct him as if he had gone this way before. The Boy-who-lived wouldn't be surprised if he had. This boy (who looked to be at least two whole years younger than him!) was full of surprises. So he led him to the hospital wing without much thought of anything other than the boy next to him. 

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Meanwhile, Albus continued to interrogate his brother on why he didn't tell him he was holding a boy who seemed powerful enough to beat Merlin himself!

"To me," non-twinkling eyes stared from beyond their spectacles. "Power means nothing compared to honesty and honestly Albus, you care more for power than you like to appear." They were in a carefully protected room that allowed no one to hear what the two powerful, in their own respects, men were speaking about. Albus had conjured two very comfortable chairs and they sat across from each other. The room was located above the pub that Aberforth owned and was where he slept every night. 

The younger Dumbledore huffed in annoyance at the very true statement, which was very out of character for the old man. Obviously not in front of his family, it wasn't. "Yes, but how long has he been in your shop? You seem too inclined to avoid the subject for it not to have been a longer time than a year." 

Aberforth smiled faintly at the rise he could still get out of his brother. "You just need to find that information out for yourself." He got out of the conjured plush chair he was sitting in. "Now if you stay any longer I might just make you pay for this room." He smiled fully at the irritated look the Headmaster sent him. "Feel free to stop in anytime for a butterbeer, dearly esteemed brother of mine." He grinned and shooed Albus out of his private room and pub. 

"Back to business, I go!" He went down the stairs to find all the usuals in the same places as always. It appeared that even the Dark Lord couldn't take them away from their daily firewhiskey. 

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**Hope you enjoyed it! Sorry if it wasn't up to your standards... PLEASE Review!**


	9. Interrogations

**DISCLAIMER- I guess I don't own anything. **

**Ah... Summer... What?! Summer's nearly gone? And with it my annoying writer's block? Oh gosh golly! I might be able to update sooner I guess that's my point. :D Don't rely on what I say too much though, because I am new at this college thing so I might be up late studying... haha ya... ANYwho**

**Thanks for reviewing! It really does make my day. I get all happy like a cheering charm... **

** I shall write more before the school year starts (for me) :D**

**Happy Reading!!**

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**Chapter Nine**

**Interrogations**

Harry led Will towards the infirmary. The boy was still lost in his thoughts when they were greeted by Madam Pomfrey.

"What has this boy done again?" She exclaimed as she looked at both of them. Harry didn't know if she was talking about him or Will beside him. She glanced over them and saw that while Harry seemed fine, Will was shaking slightly.

"Oh, poor thing, what happened? Never mind, don't' answer that. Let's get you some pain reducers." She bustled away leaving the two with their thoughts again. Silence reigned in the hospital wing. A bird flying outside the window broke the slightly awkward silence. Will looked out at it and it flew through the open window to his outstretched arm.

"So…" Harry started, "we have never been introduced properly." His green eyes met grey once again. "I'm Harry Potter but I'm sure you've known that the whole time. It's a wonder to find someone who doesn't know who I am. I think, personally, that it's the scar but one never knows, because my picture is in the paper enough…." He looked sheepishly over at the still silent but now grinning boy. "I tend to ramble when I get nervous."

"And why are you nervous of me? I'm just an innocent little boy." Will chuckled at his own joke, neatly side-stepping the question. The boy-who-lived just stared. "Well, I guess you might add powerful, immortal, innocent, little boy." They both grinned and started laughing. To Harry it wasn't a funny joke at all to be immortal and powerful, but the hysteria of just confronting Voldemort again was breaking down his nerves. Too many stressful problems had occurred in the last couple of months. It seemed that Will knew what he needed to get by. Laugh at the simple things to keep their sanity. By this time, Will had nearly stopped laughing and was looking at Harry with an expression of complete comprehension.

"I understand a bit of what you are going through." His grey eyes hardened as he subconsciously pet his falcon. "And while you still have fate to dance with, I shall be at your side through it all. I will not abandon you and I will not let you push me away like you were planning on doing with your friends." Harry gaped, how could this boy understand him so fully? He had basically just met him and yet it seemed like they were brothers from life, long-ago.

"Were we related in a past life?" He asked hopefully. "Because you seem like my younger twin." Will just laughed and laughed until Madam Pomfrey came back into the room.

"Here you are, dear," she said, handing a bottle to Will, looking at the magnificent bird curiously but not commenting. "Drink this; it should make you feel better." The younger boy took it without complaint as the Medi-witch left to her office.

Harry looked at this Will who just entered his life. He had an average look when just glancing at him. But when you looked closer he looked older, wiser, somehow different than before. His eyes were the only thing that really set him apart from other fourteen-year olds. They had a depth to them that one got lost in. The kind of depth that seemed to have known hardships and to have dealt with difficult problems.

The doors slammed open and Ginny ran through with Neville hot on her heels. Luna strolled in after them. Will's expression closed up. Maybe he wasn't comfortable with people dissimilar to Harry, himself or maybe there was a deeper reason. Luna looked at Will and her face lit up.

"Hello Will Stanton. I have been looking forward to meeting you." She walked up to him and shook his outstretched hand. It seemed that Will knew who this was and was ready for her. Luna had reminded Harry that Will eluded his earlier question of introductions. He apparently had some Slytherin cunning; that much was clear.

"Hello Luna Lovegood. It is a pleasure to meet you as well. I hope you have been well searching for those ever evading Crumple-Horned Snorkacks?" The girl smiled brilliantly.

"Oh, I have! Have you found any lately? Daddy thinks they have been hiding in the Forbidden Forest. I believe you have been there recently." She looked over at Kip who was preening herself on Will's other arm.

Will just smiled at her and looked to the others then he looked at Harry pointedly. Startled, Harry broke his confused stance and introduced everyone.

"Well, this girl here is Ginny Weasley, the other boy is Neville Longbottom, and the blonde, you seem to already know." Will and Luna smiled.

"It may have been that we met in a past life." The immortal's smile grew. Luna just started humming a tune as she pet the top of Kip's head. Kip adored the attention and leaned into the touch. "It seems as though you have a new friend." Luna giggled and continued to pat the bird.

"What a great day this has been." Everyone just stared at the odd girl. "I wonder if the Gallyflanx helped in making it this way. Don't you agree, Will Stanton?"

Will could only nod, wondering what in the world a Gallyflanx was.

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A little while later, Ron and Hermione showed up in the hospital wing. What they saw there surprised them a little. On one bed, five kids were sitting. Somehow they all fit. It looked to be that they were trading stories with an unknown, ordinary looking boy. The object of their observation glanced up and caught Harry's eye while looking at the duo pointedly. Harry looked down and then back at them in determination. He got off the bed and met them halfway from the bed to the door.

"Uh…" He looked over his shoulder at the boy for help. All he got in return was a sight smile that must have been encouraging enough for Harry to continue.

"Uh… I'm sorry?" The boy behind him sighed loudly. "I'm sorry." Harry said more resolutely than before. He continued when no response came from his two best friends for six years. "I blew up at you and held a grudge. I guess," he paused, thinking of how he wanted to put it. "I guess I just want you to be safe. Voldemort," here everybody in the room except for Harry and Will flinched, "will start to target my friends when the war takes a turn for the worst. Believe me when I can say that this war will get awful real quick." He looked down. "I'm not in this for my life only you know," he muttered. "The only reason I'm here is for my friends. I will not let them die." He looked into Hermione's watering eyes and at Ron who was trying to act as though he hadn't let a tear out.

"Good job, Harry. You did well." Will said softly but with pride. This let Hermione switch her thoughts onto something else.

"Who are you?" She looked at him suspiciously. "I've never seen you around here before. As it states in _Hogwarts, a History_," Ron snorted and the girl glared as she continued, "Hogwarts hasn't taken an exchange student or even a late student ever in all her years."

"And it isn't going to start now." A new voice joined in as the great Dumbledore walked into the Infirmary. He looked quite normal except if you looked at the well-concealed annoyance in his blue eyes. "I would like to have a little chat with Will here for a short moment. Won't take too much of your time from him." Harry looked like he was going to protest, still not quite trusting him from the year before but a look from Will stopped him.

"Come on you guys, it's time for supper anyway. And I know of an elf who would love to please…" Harry led the group out the door. Dumbledore glanced at Will who was looking as calm as ever. An odd thing for an old wizard like him to see, normally kids would be panicking by now, sitting in silence for a couple minutes. But he knew this was not an ordinary child. Power rolled off him in waves. He had felt his power against Voldemort; he knew what an asset he could be against the Dark Lord. But Aberforth had warned him about his own obsession with power. He mentally shook his head.

"So you have been staying with Aberforth?" He asked, truly curious. Will took his gaze from his familiar to the wizard. He tilted his head in question.

"Are you two related?" He answered. Dumbledore gave up looking wise and pouted. Will chuckled. The tension that had filled the air vanished. Now they acted like two old friends.

"So," Dumbledore started, "what exactly are you?" They had sat down on two very comfortable plush chairs that Albus had conjured. "You are able to do magic wandlessly, a feat all its own, while some of the most powerful wizards can only summon their wand to them. If you answer this question I will not interrogate you any further." The Old One sat in silence deep in thought.

"I am one who cannot interfere in the business of men," he stated seriously. "I am the Seeker of the Signs. I am the Watcher. I am the seventh son of a seventh son. I have been many places and in many times. The Pendragon was a good friend, but I was born in this century. I am the youngest of the Old Ones." He looked hard at Dumbledore, whose look of indifference was slowly breaking to become one of shock and disbelief.

"Many have been included in prophecies. Some let them rule their lives, others let them run their course. Either way, they happen if differently than first imagined. To be told that you were involved in a prophecy is a hard concept to understand. One of the first reactions is denial, then anger." Albus was rendered speechless. Harry's tantrum in his office was a secret to everyone except Harry and himself. "Oh I understand full well they way of prophecies. I have been there in the making of most and included in some." Kip flew protectively to his shoulder again.

Comprehension flooded the old wizard's eyes. "_Six Sleepers shall ride, six Signs shall burn_," He muttered looking at Will now with awe. "By Merlin…"

Will smiled slightly though it was a small sad smile. "Yes:

_When light from the lost land shall return_

_Six Sleepers shall ride, six Signs shall burn,_

_And where the midsummer tree grows tall_

_By Pendragon's sword the Dark shall fall_. (1)"

The wizard couldn't believe it. He had a walking legend right before him and this Will had truly proved himself. No one knew the rest of that prophecy. It was said to have been stuffed away in the infamous gold grail. It was hard not to look like a deer in the headlights. He held his head in his hands. This questioning had completely flipped on him.

"Albus," Will said sternly. "From one old man to another, my only advice to you is this: while prophecies may occur, they are not set in stone. Do not under any circumstances make it so with young Harry. He has had a difficult life so far do not make it harder." Will's ageless eyes bored holes into the wizards. "Let him choose his own path." Will straightened from his chair and stretched like a cat, irritating the bird who was resting. Now that the Old One looked more of the age of fourteen, Albus could gather his thoughts better. But not before he could blurt out the question that had been burning inside him since he had figured this riddle.

"You knew Merlin?"

And Will just laughed, and after a bit Albus joined in, if a bit uncertainly at first. Madame Pomfrey looked out her door to see a scene much like two old friends with an inside joke. She sighed and muttered, "men" before going back into her office.

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**_(1) for those who didn't recognize this poem (YOU SHOULD THOUGH) It's in the Grey King. Fantastic book._**

**Yay. Sorry about the shortness and if you think it's crappy then sorry about that too. I think this is like a first in the non-cliffy ending for me. woohoo! The time between updates affects the author just as much as it does the reader. :D I will shorten the time in between to less than a CajaBILLION months. **

**Review please! ! ! ! !**


	10. Seven, a Magical Number

**A/N Wow a whole six days later and there's another chapter!! I'm trying to make up for not updating throughout the summer. I felt terrible about that. Well This chapter is a tad bit longer than normal, so I hope you enjoy that. :D**

**I guess since it was such a short time, I didn't get as many reviews... But that's alright, cause I just want the readers to be entertained!!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**_Happy Reading!_**

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**Chapter 10**

**Seven, a Magical Number**

Snape walked through the hallways with many thoughts running across his mind. He had not gone to Hogsmeade. That was a fault he made against Voldemort, he would be Crucio'd the next meeting until he hung on by a thread. He did feel the pain coming from the mark, but he did not heed the call. _I'm a professor here and the kids are my first responsibility. I couldn't go out there and hurt them._

He half-heartedly sneered at a few passing students. Thankfully, none had been harmed in the Hogsmeade raid. Nothing had happened because of Potter, his Gryffindor brashness, and the unknown named Will. _Just Will. He seemed so alike to Potter that I can't help but protect him. Contrary to what most people think, I care about Harry. Lily made me promise that I would protect him and I have done a lousy job so far. _Snape made his way silently, scaring a group of Hufflepuffs that had not seen him coming. But he didn't take points off, and for that they were confused. He was too immersed in his thoughts to do anything other than put one foot in front of the other.

His path took him to the Hospital Wing where he knew Dumbledore would be. He was going to do something he never thought he would do since he started the job. Snape was going to give up on his spying occupation on the Dark Lord. The war was moving along too quickly for him and he was just getting too old to keep up his facades. Oh, it's not that he absolutely adored kids, _hell no_, and that would never be the case. He just didn't hate them as much as they liked to believe.

When they doors came into view, he slowed down. _Can I really do this? Face Dumbledore's disappointed eyes? _Fate didn't give him a chance to answer as the object of his thoughts opened the door. Next to him was the boy, whom he had remembered a few weeks back. A magnificent bird was sitting on his shoulder.

"Ah, Severus! To what do I owe this pleasure?" He smiled serenely at him in his grandfatherly way. Albus could see the tension in his shoulders and the worry in his eyes.

Snape sneered, for good-measure, at Will. "Headmaster, I would like to speak to you in private." He couldn't help but shift uncomfortably when both pairs of eyes looked at him in concern. _What does the boy know that makes him concerned?_

"Let's all go to my office, shall we? I believe that Will can come if he is not too tired?" He looked at the other, the question hanging in the air. Grey eyes met obsidian as Snape's anger grew. _Why would he invite this mere boy to our meeting when he _knows_ it's about my private affairs? This is a confidential conversation._

"I understand what you are feeling, Severus." The man spluttered at having his unspoken questions answered by the boy of his recent anger. "I will explain when we arrive somewhere where the walls don't have ears." As if answering, a window opened and a slight wind blew in. Will laughed softly and Severus thought he heard him whisper, "High Magic," but he couldn't be sure. The bird on his shoulder hopped down to his arm and nudged his hand. The boy smiled again.

"Go on then, have fun." And with that he threw his arm in the air, launching the beautiful falcon who flew out the window. The breeze felt as if it flew after her.

Dumbledore smiled with an emotion the potions master had never seen before. Total respect, as if to an endeared grandfather. He started walking and called over his shoulder.

"Come along, you two."

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When they got to the office, the tension coming from Snape was almost palpable in the air. Will knew that this would be a turning point in Snape's life almost as it would be for himself.

Dumbledore conjured another chair for Will and Severus sat in the other. "Now let's get started." The old man clapped his hands and a jar of lemondrop popped onto the desk. "Would anyone care for a Lemondrop?" Snape scowled.

"This is serious Albus!" The old man looked at him patiently. "I still don't understand why this adolescent should be able to sit in on this discussion." He looked at Will with fake distaste.

"Well, my boy, looks can be deceiving." He smiled slightly at Will and Will smirked back.

"Well then," Snape sighed. "I guess I shall trust your judgment." He looked at the headmaster with such intensity that made the Old One curious. "I have decided to stop my spying duties." Without pause, he continued, uncertain of the reactions he would get. "My reason is that I did not go to the raid today. There was the choice of Him or the students. I couldn't do that to my students." He sighed again looking his many years being in the service.

"My boy," Severus looked up. "You never need a reason to step out. If you felt unsafe, then you should have told me. I could have helped earlier." Lots of sadness was radiating off of the older man in front of him.

"Spying is a very difficult occupation to have, especially if you work for the two highest factors." Will glanced at the man beside him.

"And what would you know about any of this?" Severus glared. "You're just a child."

Will smirked and the potions master felt he was missing something. "I know everything about you." He said cryptically. Snape was about to retort but Will cut him off. "That day that I obliviated you, I learned that some things just don't work as well for _my kind_."

Snape looked to Dumbledore for guidance while the headmaster just sat there. He popped a Lemondrop in his mouth which made it so he wouldn't be able to talk. Will called his attention back though with his next sentence.

"Your life has been hard indeed, Severus." There was so much sadness coming from the boy, but no pity. "I have felt what you felt, endured what you endured and yet I cannot fathom why." Grey eyes stared mournfully out the window. "Why can someone do that to a mere child?"

"I am _not_ a child." The infamous glare came back in full force but instead of frightening him away it just made him look sadder.

"To me," he looked back to the man. "To me you are." He paused gathering his thoughts.

"Tell me," His grey eyes bored into Snape's soul. "What do you know of the Old Ones?"

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Snape glared even more. "I know what every other Pureblood knows, it's just a myth." He didn't mention that he actually wasn't a pureblood, he was just in Slytherin. "They are an old race that helped save the world from eternal darkness." He looked back to Albus. "What does this have to do with our conversation?" Albus sat back in his chair and offered for Will to speak again, which made Severus scowl.

"You know of the rhymes, correct?" He asked, figuring that if Albus Dumbledore knew than surely Severus Snape would know.

"Of course, my mother would sing it to me when I was younger."

"Can you repeat it?" Will held back a smile, this was just too much fun!

Snape snorted and muttered, "but I am not singing it."

"_Fire on the mountain shall find the harp of gold_

_Played to wake the Sleepers, oldest of the old;_

_Power from the green witch, lost beneath the sea;_

_All shall find the light at last, silver on the tree_."

Albus and Will nodded, confirming that he was right in the words. Will was thinking of which to repeat back to him. He nodded t himself and looked straight into Snape's eyes.

"_When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back;_

_Three from the circle, three from the track;_

_Wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone;_

_Five will return, and one go alone._

_Iron for the birthday, bronze carried long;_

_Wood from the burning, stone out of song;_

_Fire in the candle-ring, water from the thaw;_

_Six Signs the circle, and the grail gone before_." He sighed as memories came back of the Drews and Bran. He missed them almost as much as he missed his family. Looking from Dumbledore to Snape again, he noticed they were both lost in their thoughts.

"I guess I shall make it even shocking for you and add a bit of information." Will smirked until he began to gather his words. This would either anger Snape, or it would scare him to near death. "When I tried obliviating you, remember I have never done it before on a Wizard," he paused. "There were some repercussions. You see, I think because you resisted it, your entire life flashed before my eyes." He looked down. "I had no idea that this would happen, and I am entirely sorry for invading your personal life that I shouldn't know at all. I would like to ask for you forgiveness and if you don't give it I completely understand."

The potions master was gaping. _My entire life… He knows my entire life. Well that could be good, he understands me better than anyone… I just can't take this right now. _He stood up from his chair and nearly ran out of the room.

The two remaining people sat in a sad silence. They both cared for that man. Albus cared because he knew him for his whole schooling career, and Will cared because he knew his entire, hard, difficult, life. After a long pause where they sat in the contemplating stillness, Will spoke up.

"Well," he said with fake cheer. "I guess I'll get going." He stood up to leave. Dumbledore raised his hand to stop him.

"I have a proposition for you, my friend." He looked over his glasses at Will. "Would you like to help as a potions assistant?"

"But, Severus—"

"Severus will come around in time. I am sure he is somewhat happy about this issue. You would understand why." They both smiled.

"This could be good for him. And think of what he could get done with me by his side." A small chuckle broke out from Albus and then Will stood up.

"I think I will go share the good news to Harry." He grinned. "But I don't think I shall tell them who I will be assisting." He laughed outright.

"Do you need directions to the library?"

Will just smiled, shook his head, and walked out the door.

The High Magic would guide him to where he needed to be. That was one of the perks of being an Old One. This castle is drenched in it, he thought as he ran his hands along the stones. To anyone he would look like he was wandering aimlessly. Will couldn't help it, he laughed and he could almost hear the castle laughing with him.

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After getting and afternoon snack from Dobby, the group made their way to the library. They would go out to the lake, but because of the recent attack so close to the school, the teachers decided that no one would be allowed outside. The headmaster would announce when it would be safe again.

No one took the attack too hard considering that no one was seriously injured. Most of the students thought it was a scare tactic from Voldemort since the Minister finally admitted he was alive. Most thought it was supposed to be like the raid at Diagon Ally. Harry and his friends knew that by tomorrow that idea would change. The confrontation in Hogsmeade would surely go down as another time that Harry was face to face with the Dark Lord and lived.

The group went to a secluded corner that Hermione had found a couple years ago. Not that many Hogwarts students went around the area because it was a history section. Hermione had made it more comfortable, transfiguring the chairs into plush couches.

"Alright," Ron started. "Now are you going to tell us who that kid was?" He was curious to find out. Hermione huffed but leaned forward.

"Harry, we're worried about you." The concern in her eyes amplified that fact. "You've been withdrawn since school started. I understand that school is important but your interest in school has dramatically gone up since last year." She paused hesitantly. "If you need to talk about anything…" She looked around the group. "We are all here for you." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Harry looked around. All the faces looked determined and he realized that they had been hurting because of him. "I'm so sorry, you guys." He started playing with the hem of his robe. "I just wanted everyone to be safe." He muttered softly. Hermione started to speak up but Harry cut her off with a look. "Everyone dies because they were somehow connected to me in some way. But, now that I look at what my separation has caused, I understand that that is not the way to keep my friends safe."

"So what are you planning to do now?" Neville asked. Ginny hit his arm and hissed, "you can be so insensitive, you know that?"

Harry just smiled. He got up and stood in front of all his friends. Looking at them he felt stronger. _With them at my side, no one can stop us._ "I think we should start up the DA again." Luna smiled in her own way and walked towards a book shelf. "We can train together as a group, just the six of us."

"Seven," came the airy reply from over by the bookshelf. Ron appeared confused by what the Ravenclaw stated and asked, "Seven?"

A new voice joined in from a small distance away, "Yes, seven."

Luna just smiled and wandered over to where Will was standing. "I won't let you go off by yourselves." He said looking straight into emerald. "Where's the fun in that?" Harry and the Old One laughed as if it were a joke.

Joke about the serious things to get through. And they would get through with flying colors.

_I'm sure of it_, Harry thought.

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**Well there it is. I shall get a few more chapters in before school because then I don't believe that my writing will come to me as fast. If you see any errors go ahead and tell me, I don't have a beta. Once I'm done with this story I will go back and edit the whole thing (or have someone do it for me... haha)**

**Review because it makes me happy. :D)**


	11. Lessons

**AN- I finally got it in!!! Thanks for those who reviewed, it makes me more happy than you can realize. Sorry it took so long to get out, but I had school and such that sadly had first priority. Now that winter break's here I can write freely. :D **

**Well, I hope you enjoy. Happy (belated) Christmas!! Or Holidays for those of you who don't celebrate it!**

**Chapter 11**

**Lessons**

He slammed the door to his office and leaned on the cool wood. That's what he always liked about the dungeons; they were always cool in the warmer days and warmer in the cooler days. Everyone else just seemed it was cold. His classroom wasn't allowed heating or cooling charms because of the potions that rested there.

The potions master walked over to his desk and sat in his chair. He looked at all the papers that needed to be graded and sighed. Stress was abundant and for once, he didn't know what to do about it. Scaring the students usually made it better but he wasn't in the mood today. That strike on Hogsmeade made it seem like a horrible idea. Maybe it was time to shape up his act.

"No!" He couldn't do that! It would give the Deatheater's children a reason to tell their parents. How would they know that he wasn't a Deatheater anymore? He was in the Inner Circle meaning the news wouldn't spread around. He would just have to act the same as always. There was no way in _hell_ he was going to shape up around Potter.

Grabbing a quill, he got to work grading. Maybe that would help his increasing headache or solve the mystery that was Will Stanton.

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As it was nearing Halloween, the whole school was abuzz with delight. Not even the attack could bring down their hopes. What had they to fear? They were in Hogwarts with Albus Dumbledore, the only man the Dark Lord feared.

Will had told his new friends that he was going to be an apprentice to one of the teachers at the school. They had probed and probed but could not get any more information out of him. He said that the Headmaster would announce it when he felt ready. Will was quite clever at wording his sentences carefully. Hermione knew there was a riddle just in that one thing he said. When she thought about it she brought it up to him.

"You narrowed it down." She said looking at him over the dinner table. Everyone was giving them odd looks for having an unknown person there but this particular group of friends was used to it. Will just smiled and continued eating. It had been three days since the attack and the discussion with Albus. The rumor that Harry had faced He-who-must-not-be-named had been going around with a quickness only seen with fast delivery post owls.

"When you told us you he would be ready… You narrowed it down. This professor is male." She looked triumphant. Harry looked over without interest. He would find out sooner or later.

"Oh, 'Mione, let it go!" Ron said munching on his supper. Grabbing some more food that happened to appear in front of him, the girl gave him a disgusted look. Harry leaned over and whispered to her:

"And you kiss that thing." He started laughing as she blushed. Neville and Ginny laughed as well and Harry thought he could hear the distinguished tinkle of a laugh that was Luna's.

"You will find out soon enough. Just wait until the Halloween feast." Will glanced over at Hermione. "Your questions will be answered." Even though he was younger than her, he looked so much wearier, as if he had dealt with this before. "Some things take time to announce. You don't need to know everything, Hermione." She felt scolded with those few words.

"That's what we've been trying to tell her for years, but does she listen to us? No." Ron butted into the conversation. The girl just glared and ate some food.

Harry was dazing in and out of what they were talking about. He suddenly thought of something. "You guys, what day is it?" They looked confused.

"Thursday," Ginny said. Harry shoved the rest of his food into his mouth and stood up.

"What's the rush, mate?" Ron asked. Will looked intrigued. Harry looked up from his bag.

"Remedial potions." He started walking towards the doors.

"I'll come with you," Will said and got up as well. "I always needed more help on potions." He smiled at the rest of the group as Harry shook his head from behind Will's back. But before any of them could say anything, Will turned around and led the way out of the door. Harry followed.

When they got out the door, Will slowed down to let Harry catch up. He opened his mouth to tell him that it wasn't remedial potions when Will interrupted him.

"I know this is not remedial potions, you have no worry about that. I just need to chat with Professor Snape. Maybe I can get you out of it completely." He smiled again and this time, Harry smiled back. No more Occlumency with Snape would be wicked!

They arrived at the door and Will told Harry to wait for a couple of minutes. He needed to talk to him in private. He whispered good luck to Will and watched as he opened and closed the door.

Inside, Will could see Severus behind a stack of papers, asleep. He went around and shook him a bit. Knowing Severus, he stood a little bit away from him after that. There could be curses galore and there was. Will made a little shield around the man so no damage would come to his office. Dark eyes met light.

"Do you have any other intruding things to say to me now?" He said looking down. He began to grade his papers again.

Will smiled a little mournfully and nodded. Severus noticed this out of the corner of his eye. His head snapped up. "What—"

"It's not as terrible as you might think." Will said, then sat down in the other chair in the room causing Severus to sigh and move all the papers so he could see the boy. He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"What is it now" He was starting to get annoyed and this boy was not helping his headache or stress.

Will smiled again and replied, "Albus wants me to be your potions apprentice." The man's expression didn't change but his thoughts did. This wasn't such a bad idea; he might consider it. Will kept going, "We could work on your never-ending project that just doesn't seem to be successful. Even though I know what you know, doesn't mean I have the same opinions." Snape looked up.

"I might be able to make an arrangement." He looked almost as if he wanted to start working that minute.

"Also," Will added, "I was wondering if I could take Harry out of your hands with his Occlumency lessons. He's waiting outside, I could begin today." Snape looked thoughtful. He _did_ have a lot of papers left to grade and what ever method of teaching he was giving to Potter, it wasn't working.

There was a knock at the door. "That would be Harry." Will looked at Snape and their eyes locked in a silent battle. Another knock broke the tension.

"Very well." Will smiled once more and stood up from his seat. "But, I will want to check on him to see if he is making any progress. If he is not, then I will continue with my lessons." The boy nodded and walked to the door. He knew Severus was grateful; there were no words to express it. And as Will was opening the door, he heard a faint "Thank you," that must have traveled on a slight wind gust.

He closed the door again and glanced up at Harry. "You will be having lessons with me for now on same time and day and any place you choose." The resounding whoop made Will laugh heartily as the boy-who-lived led the way towards the seventh floor.

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They had tried meditating but Harry couldn't keep his mind from distractions. The Room of Requirement was helpful though because it didn't have anything other than a rug and a nice fireplace. Will sighed mentally. Now he knew what Severus had dealt with. This boy had no natural talent at the art, Legimency (A/N- Correct me if I'm wrong with spelling) maybe but not Occlumency.

"Harry," Will sigh again, this time audibly. "You need to clear your mind of any distractions. Once you do this it should be quite easy to build fortifications around your mind." He looked at the struggling boy in front of him.

Harry looked down, dejected. "I just have a lot on my mind right now. It's hard not to think about what homework I have due tomorrow or Voldemort."

Will thought hard on something that might interest Harry enough to blank his mind. "What is something that interests you very much? Don't say," He said, interrupting, "Just think it. This is another form that you will learn after you build your defenses." He looked into the boy's head. Quidditch was the first thing to pop up, then Defense against the Dark Arts class, some girls, then, out of no where, fire. That was the perfect thing to concentrate on.

Will looked to the fireplace and silently asked Hogwarts to make some candles and to dim the fireplace fire. He glanced over at Harry to see him staring into the fireplace with a smile on his face. His curiosity taking over his mouth, he asked the question on his mind, "Why fire?"

The boy looked over at the Old One and smiled. "It was one of my friends when I was younger. My aunt, Petunia, would give me a candle and some matches during the cold winter nights. She said she didn't have enough blankets and that the candle should suffice." He answered somewhat bitterly. "Then she would shove me in my room and tell me not to burn down the house." He looked at Will with hate in his eyes. Will looked back sadly. No child should have to go through that. Harry continued, in his own little world of thoughts, "They never acted as my family and if I could," he smiled, "I would disown _them_."

Will laughed lightly. "If only," he paused, thinking for a second then repeated, "If only, if only, the woodpecker sighs, / The bark on the tree was as soft as the skies. / The wolf waits below, hungry and lonely, / And cries to the moon, / if only, if only. **(1)**" Harry laughed too and together they got over the bad moment.

"Well, getting on with the lesson." Will moved the candle to be in between the two of them. They were sitting on the floor, Indian style. Harry looked at the unlit candle with a question in his eyes. Will put his hand over the flame and it lit suddenly. Harry jumped slightly. Will smiled that serene smile that seemed to always appear. "I want you to concentrate on this flame and only this flame." The boy followed his instructions intently. Soon all the muddled thoughts in his mind cleared except for the waving flower of fire. "Think of the color, the way it moves, billows in its own wind. It has a mind of its own, an environment of its own…"

His voice trailed out to see Harry's eyes glaze over. Grinning like he just won the lottery, he slowly entered his friend's mind.

He saw his friend sitting down staring at a flame in his hand. He walked over to him and tapped his shoulder. The boy looked up at him almost sleepily.

"Come with me, I will show you how to build up your defenses." Harry's eyes unglazed and he looked around in amazement.

"This is my mind?" Harry grinned, matching his steps with Will's. "It's kind of dark." He sounded disappointed.

"You can shape your mind however you like. But before we do that we need to set up walls." He faced the opposite direction. "Let us put one right here." He glanced over. "What you need to do is think of the strongest material in your mortal world." Harry's eyes darted around. Will sighed slightly. "Keep your concentration. If I wasn't here you would be back in your body in the Room of Requirement. Now," he started again after he had Harry's attention, "think of the material." The boy's eyes closed automatically. "Whatever material you have, expand it to make a wall." And before Will's eyes a steel wall about three feet thick formed in front of him. He clapped his hands. "Look at your creation, Harry."

He opened his eyes to see exactly what he had been imagining. Laughing, he looked over at Will to see him watching back with pride.

"Alright, you've made one wall, connect it up with three more." Harry got to work.

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After three successful hours, they had a nice room with a fireplace and a couple of chairs. Steel walls surrounded the room and there was some rough carpet on the floor.

"Well done, Harry." Will clapped him on the back. "Let's return to our bodies. We've been here quite a while now." Harry looked at him curiously.

"How do we return to our bodies?" It had been a wonder he had stayed here at all, with his wandering mind.

"To return," Will said, "we simply think of our bodies. Exactly like imagining the flame, we imagine ourselves. Everything about ourselves: how we move, how we speak, how we act, what we look like, what it feels like to be sitting there on the floor." Harry opened his eyes again to see himself sitting in the Room of Requirement.

"Wow," he exclaimed quietly. He saw Will standing up. Noticing how stiff his body was, the green-eyed boy stood up as well and stretched.

"Next week we shall work on putting all your thoughts in that room of yours." He walked towards the door with Harry following. "During the week," He turned around, "I want you to practice entering your mind. Concentrate on your flame and see how fast you can get to your room. Practice staying in your room, you can even add a couch or something." They both laughed. "But see how long you can stay in your room." He opened the door and walked towards the stairs.

Harry took this as a dismissal and walked with him to the stairs. It was almost curfew so the boy had to get to his common room. Before they parted on separate levels, Will called out, "Only practice at night." Harry looked questionably back at him. "You don't want your body to be unprotected, now do you?" Harry nodded and ran to his dorm, ready to tell his friends of his awesome experience. It was very close to the same exhilaration he had when he didn't get punished by Snape that first lesson. They would be happy, and Harry just knew he would be able to sleep tonight, free from nightmares.

Will smiled a small, secretive smile and walked towards his own room, given by the Headmaster, near the man's office. Helping Harry was much more fun than he expected. Humans could be such fun little things. He never realized until he wasn't one anymore. Why did the Old Ones have to distant themselves from such entertainment? Will would never know. Peaceful for the first time in weeks, Will knew he would sleep tonight just fine.

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* * *

**1. This is from _Holes_, the movie. It was just kinda catchy. :D**

**AN- Don't be mad if it's bad... **


	12. Learning to Learn

**Chapter 12**

**Learning to Learn**

In a dark room, miles away from Hogwarts, one could see a man pacing back and forth, clearly agitated. The room had a horrible feeling of sadness and anguish but the man inside seemed to revel in it. This specific room was set over the dungeons of his manor. Suddenly, the man yelled out in anger and set to ruining his room before heading to the ornate door and throwing it open.

"My lord?" A servant in a black robe with white skull mask inquired. For his question he was cursed. The man was sent writhing and screaming on the floor.

"_No one_ questions me." Voldemort replied while stalking towards the basement to enjoy torturing some prisoners. As he was descending the stairs, a voice hissed out to him.

"Something the matter, Tom?" The man with the voice appeared out of the darkness. He had piercing blue eyes that radiated evil with a nasty scar lining his face; red hair showing from underneath his black hood. Voldemort sneered at him and continued on his path.

"Nothing that concerns _you_." He hissed back, very close to slipping into parseltongue. The other man chuckled.

"My, my, anger is really not becoming of you Tom." He smirked. "Does this have to deal with a certain betrayal of your ranks? Say, maybe… one Severus Snape?"

Voldemort stopped and spun around while glaring. The Rider glared back with much more force. Red met blue. The wizard broke off first and forced out an affirmative. The auburn-haired man sneered.

"Learn your place mortal. If you want to achieve immortality than you have to understand that I am your superior." He paused then continued in a completely fake pleasant tone, "Well, what do you plan to do about your traitor, hmm?" He pretended to think while Voldemort seethed. "You could kill him outright or capture him and torture him into insanity. Or maybe send him out of time; that would be my choice." The Rider laughed joylessly and stepped towards the wizard. Voldemort refused to back down as the true Dark Lord walked close enough to him to see the irises of those blue eyes. "Just remember your place, and things should go as planned. If," his eyes narrowed. "If you do not do as I say, things may just end up horribly for you and your _fear_." He sneered.

"I do not want nor need your help." Voldemort interrupted, covering his nervousness well. The rider just smiled.

"You will learn." Blue eyes started fading into the background as he said as a parting comment, "Halloween would be a great day for a raid, why not start there," before disappearing entirely. The wizard thought about it for a second, then started back up to his office. He had a raid to plan.

* * *

One week before Halloween had become busy for Harry. With trying to get the DA back, regular lessons and lessons with Will, he was glad he didn't have Quidditch on top of that. Everything was going well though; almost too well for the boy-who-lived. The DA was set to start a couple of days into November and was coming along nicely. Hermione even said there might be more people this time which could be because Umbridge wasn't teaching anymore.

His regular lessons were going well also because of the extra studying he had been doing before he mediated with Ron and Hermione. His study habits were up to par with his friend's and their little trio had grown since Will arrived. With the extra help of Luna, Neville, and Ginny, school wasn't as hard anymore. They found a schedule that worked well for them.

His lessons with Will were getting more difficult by the day though. They had changed his weekly appointment to daily because that was the rate at which Harry could learn. If he went over things every day, it was easier to remember. His mental shields were getting stronger every day and he could now hold himself in his mind for over ten minutes when before he couldn't stay there at all (without Will's help). Instead of learning mind magics, the last couple of days were based on the history of the Light, the Dark, and the High Magic. He was amazed at what he learned:

_Flashback_

_"Today, we are going to begin with an explanation of the powers of time," Will started. Harry sat cross-legged across from the Old One. They were sitting in the Room of Requirement, which today was proving very useful. _

_"What many don't know about the differences between us tend to veer towards assumptions. As higher powers we are not able to directly harm or change the choices of humans on this earth." At this Harry gasped as he realized something. _

_"So in Hogsmead, the Rider as you call him," Will nodded. "couldn't have hurt anyone there at all?" Will nodded again, waiting for his next question, patient as always. "So then, why did he feel so _evil_, I mean, it's just that—"_

_Will interrupted, "Because he is the epitome of evil. When you stand near him you are feeling all the malcontent of the world. He _thrives_ off of it; it feeds him." Here he sighed. " He can influence some people to do what the Dark want by either promising something that they could never achieve on their own or just pushing the anger already in that mortal's mind to the forefront." The Old One paused again, thinking. His eyes hardened. "Most of their promises are empty." He looked straight at Harry. "I have seen what happens once the mortal fulfills his order and it is not a fun sight." _

_Will looked down in shame. "They almost always cannot be saved." _

_End Flashback_

The days after that were informational and very enlightening. The High Magic and Wild Magic were his most favorite topics.

_Flashback_

_"High Magic is the only power that both the Light and the Dark have to abide by as it is the highest power." They were back in the Room of Requirement in the same position as before. But the atmosphere was not as gloomy this time."High magics will give its tests to make sure whoever is either using the power or summoning someone or thing, that they are worth what they are recieving."_

_"Wild Magic has a mind of its own and tends to do what ever it wants no matter the consequence." He smiled. "Because of this, it can sometimes be persuaded. But if you anger the Wild Magic, there will be gruesome outcomes. It can get quite emotional." He paused and then appeared to be in thought._

_Images appeared on the walls of their room. There were four objects: a sword, a grail, a medly of a sign of a circle quartered by a cross, and a harp. "These are just a few of the objects from the Light that were made and kept by the High Magic. But for today, we will not go over these as they have no relevance in today's lesson."_

_Will stood up and Harry quickly followed. "Today we will be getting in touch with this castle, which is full of High Magic and Wild magic."_

_End Flashback_

Harry did what Will wanted and found he had always had this feeling but could never describe what it was to his friends. It was Wild Magic letting him feel content on her grounds and welcoming him home after a long summer. It was comforting when he didn't feel alright. It was his makeshift mother. He connected easily with her and Will was impressed. That lesson ended very well.

After that session, Will started to teach him wand less magic as he knew it. It was just a way to do things easier and to avoid the confrontation of brother wands during a battle. The first couple of steps were difficult and he couldn't grasp it easily. After his lesson about High Magic, this one seemed a lot harder. This made him frustrated. He started to get agitated easily and snapped at a couple of people. The few days of his bad mood ended when Will commented on it. He said it was the dark influencing his emotions trying to get a rise out of him so they could take advantage of it. Will also mentioned how this would be a great test on his mental barriers. He ended up being able to control his emotions and let them out in a more anger-related activity. He used his anger to get the feel for wand less magic. Once he knew what to feel, he stopped being frustrated and got out of his funk.

The week leading up to All Hallows Eve went well, which could explain why Harry was getting nervous. There always seemed to be something wrong on Halloween. He was dreading that day.

* * *

The day before Halloween, Will was in high spirits. Things seemed to be going well. The fourteen year old in side of him was happy while the Old One felt successful after a long period of inaction.

Will kept in contact with Piri in the forbidden forest and Kip was a happy bird for getting some exercise and finding some good meat in that forest. The only bad thing was in one letter Piri mentioned that Mars was bright. Not a good sign. It worried Will to the point of him being nervous for Halloween. Good fortunes never last this long.

With this in mind, Will ambled towards the dungeons where Severus was finishing his sixth year students. He decided to wait outside the classroom so he could talk to the professor.

The class ended early and the door slammed open with many disappointed faces, a foul smell permeating, and a thick white fog crawling along the floor and ceiling.

"I don't know why Longbottom is still in this class." A sneering voice came out of the fog. "He always messes up and ruins all our potions." A couple of students snickered. "Go back to your plants, Longbottom." The person talking appeared out of the fog and Will did a double take. At first glance, this person looked like Bran but alas he wasn't. This boy had much sharper features and had his nose stuck up to the point that he looked like a bird. Bran, on the other hand had very royal features that made him look like a king without his sunglasses on. _Ah, Bran_. It was for the better that he didn't remember. There would be too many problems.

The boy looked in his direction and smirked. "So this is the new groupie from Potty's fan club." Hermione came out of the fog with Ron on her heels ready to defend him but one small glance from Will shut them up. He could fight his own battles.

"Yes," Will replied nonchalantly. "I guess you could say that." The boy looked shocked for a second before pulling himself together. Harry arrived on site next to Hermione and Ron. Neville was hanging out behind them, not wanting to get into the confrontation. None of them intervened.

"So you admit that you only hang around Potter because he's famous?" The blond stuttered, not knowing what to say at the admittance.

"Oh he's famous?" Will asked while yawning. "I never would have thought…" He pushed himself off from the wall and brushed past the boy who spun around.

"You're just going to ignore me? I'm Draco Malfoy!" He nearly screeched. His friends around him started to back away his screech got so loud. Will looked over his shoulder and sneered lightly.

"What are you going to do about it?" And with that he entered the fog-ridden classroom with a gaping crowd, a fuming Draco, and a snickering Harry behind.

After closing the door and banishing the smoke, he found Severus with his wand pointed at a cauldron. Walking closer he found why Severus had his wand at arm. There in the cauldron was a fanged, spotted toad, which looked very unhappy.

"What are you going to do about that?"

Severus started and almost dropped his wand. He didn't even notice that there were no students and fog in the room any more. He glared at Will and then looked back at the toad who was looking back and forth between Will and the Professor. The toad decided and jumped towards Will, who had been expecting it.

Holding the fanged toad, the Old One slowly started petting it and while he did so, the fangs receded and colors disappeared. Soon he was just another toad.

Severus glared once more at the toad before stalking over to his desk.

"What did you want?" He spat, extremely annoyed. His class had been going well until Longbottom's toad came out of nowhere and jumped in the unfinished potion. As a result, the class had to be concluded early and they would be behind in the curriculum for sixth years! He muttered, "Stupid toad…"

Will almost smiled but he knew how this man worked and if he got embarrassed then he would get really angry. He hated being embarrassed especially by a bunch of sixteen year old kids.

"Well sir," Will began to try and console the older man in age. "That's why I'm here right? To be your assistant?" He asked. He sat on the desk in front of the professor's desk. Severus just ignored him, working on papers that some younger years turned it.

"To help you with your potion experiments?" That got his attention. He grunted and stood up.

"Follow me." Will readily followed.

* * *

Will learned from what Severus was telling him. Even though he had all the knowledge from the same man, it made it easier for Will to comprehend the information he had recieved. Severus found in one meeting between the two of them that he did have a strong connection with the boy. This made his life less stressful because he knew someone understood him.

The professor set down the rules of how to teach students the correct way and then how to find his own style. Since Will didn't have any classes for the rest of the day, he watched his professor teach. It was fascinating to see how he interacted with the students and how the colors on their badges made that difference.

He mentioned as such to Severus and the man said, "I was going to change but then the Slytherins would notice a difference" and so that's why he couldn't change it now. So after that first day, Will had an idea of how to teach a class. He still didn't have a style because he had never taught before but he learned the basics. Also, having the professor's guide was nice. Maybe he would ask Harry for his advice on teaching. He did teach the DA afterall.

Cuddling into his bed, Will found himself being able to sleep well that night.


End file.
